The Enemy Unknown The Enemy Unseen
by majiklmoon
Summary: Sequel to Tomorrows Yet to Come. The group from Roswell faces a new enemy, an enemy they do not know. Third Installment in the Earth to Antar and Back Series.
1. Chapter 1 Crash

**Disclaimer:** Roswell, and it's characters do not belong to me. Melinda Metz, Jason Katims and 20th Century Fox have that particular pleasure. If I was lucky enough to own them, you just know the show would still be on the air, and you be watching that instead of reading this.

**Rating:** PG-13 to R for inappropriate language and some violence.

**Author's Note:** Thanks to everybody who read Love Changes Everything, and Tomorrows Yet to come, the first two installments in the Antar to Earth and Back series. The Enemy Unknown is the third, and I think, final part of the series. I hope you enjoy it.

**The Enemy Unknown The Enemy Unseen**

**Chapter One **- _Crash_

_July 1, 1947 – New York City_

The cloaked ship landed silently in a deserted waterfront area in New York. The four figures inside looked carefully around, checking their scopes to make sure they were undetected.

"Are you sure the location is secure?" asked Cladar.

"Yes, of course I'm sure," snapped Nasd. "These humans are such simpletons. They never see what they don't expect to see. We could remove the cloaking device, and they still wouldn't see us."

"And what about the location for the chamber? Do you think it will be safe? Lord Kivar wants these four to be safe."

"They'll be safe, don't worry," said Ticada. "You are far too suspicious, Cladar. We know what Lord Kivar wants done, and we shall do it."

"How are we to get the chambers to their new home?" asked Cladar.

"Watch," said Ticada. He held up one hand and a bright light filled the ship. When the light subsided, Ticada stood before them in human form.

"Now I will simply find a method of transportation that is used on this backward planet, and we will move the chambers to their new location," said Ticada. 

He climbed out of the ship and walked purposefully down the deserted alley towards the sounds of traffic. He returned several minutes later, driving a panel truck with 'Rub-a-Dub Laundry Service' painted on the side.

"Help me load them," said Ticada, climbing out of the truck. "And take care nothing happens them!" he ordered, imperiously.

Cladar and Nasd climbed slowly out of their ship, cautiously testing the atmosphere almost like children sticking their toes in the ocean for the first time. Nasd fought the desire to turn and rush back into the ship. He loathed humans, both the ones on Antar, and the ones he felt all around him here on Earth. It galled him to be sent to the planet that was the original home to the Antarians that enslaved him.

Cladar forced himself to hang back. It wouldn't do for either Nasd, or Ticada to realize how anxious he was to experience this new planet. He held up a hand, and in a burst of dazzling white light, he transformed his appearance to that of a human as well.

"Nasd, you'd better transform yourself," he said to his companion. "What if somebody comes back here?"

"Then we kill them," said Ticada calmly, opening the back of the truck to reveal the body of the dead driver. "Just like I did this one. Nothing is going to stand in the way of our mission for Lord Kivar. But Cladar is right Nasd, you need to transform yourself immediately."

Nasd transformed his appearance, unwillingly, and the three Gadori began to remove four of the incubation pods from their ship. Once their cargo was loaded, Ticada climbed back into the ship to confer with the remaining Gadori.

"We will be back as soon as possible," he said. "If we do not return within three Earth days, you know what you must do."

"Yes, Ticada, I will fulfill my duty," said Wylaria.

"You will take the ship up, and hover above this space, and track our movements," instructed Ticada. "If anything happens to us, you must protect the pods with your life. Do you understand?"

"I understand Ticada, and I will do as I have been instructed," answered Wylaria. "Go now, and I will launch our craft and track you. If you are not back within three Earth days, I will do whatever I have to do to ensure the safety of the pods."

· 

"Did all go according to plan?" Asked Wylaria when the others climbed aboard the ship. "I was quite concerned when you were delayed. I saw you take the pods into their hiding place, but you took so long to return, I began to fear for you. What happened?"

"We ran into some trouble," said Nasd. "Noting we couldn't handle, of course. Some ignorant creatures that reside on this planet decided they wanted to make their home in the same area we decided to hide the pods. We dealt with them, and now, they are no longer a problem."

Wylaria shot a bleak glance at Cladar, and bowed his head to hide his expression, but not before seeing it mirrored in Cladar's eyes. Neither of them were comfortable with the glee Nasd and Ticada felt at killing the people of this planet.

"The ship is fully charged, and we can leave whenever you are ready," Wylaria said.

"Now," said Ticada. I do not relish spending one second longer than I have to."

"But what about Lord Kivar's edict that we remain here to guard the pods, Ticada?" asked a worried Wylaria.

"I care not," said Ticada. "We are bound by our oath not to _harm_ the royal family. Not guarding them isn't harming them, and as they cannot give us a direct order in the state they are in, I do not see why we need to stay."

"But Lord Kivar has ordered it," said Cladar.

"Bah, another useless human," interjected Nasd. "We are not bound by any oath to _him_. We do not serve him."

"We would be wise to ally ourselves with him, though," said Cladar, stalling for time. "And lest you forget, he is a member of the royal family, however indirectly, and as such, we are honor bound to follow his orders."

"And we are, Cladar, we are," said Ticada. "He ordered us to oversee the transport and off loading of the gestational pods, and he asked us to ensure their safety. He didn't say we needed to stay and stand guard over them until they emerged."

"You are very wise, Ticada," said Wylaria, nudging Cladar with his foot. "You have found a way for us to fulfill our duties and still return home. I thank you. I long to return to Gador and see my family again."

"Well then, get us out of here, and to our next destination," said Ticada. "The sooner we offload our cargo, the sooner we can return home."

Wylaria hands moved over the controls gently, coaxing the ship to rise carefully up between the buildings and into the night sky. Once they cleared the buildings, the ship shot through the skies towards the west.

_July 4, 1947 – Roswell New Mexico_

The ship shot unnoticed through the skies over the desert. Cladar plotted the course that would bring them to the hiding place for the other four pods.

"Take the controls for a moment?" asked Wylaria. "I need to stand up and stretch my legs for a while. I've been piloting since we left Antar, and I couldn't leave the controls at all while you hid the other pods."

"Certainly," said Cladar. "It is too bad that Ticada and Nasd think piloting the ship is beneath them."

"Yes, yes it is," answered Wylaria, distractedly. He waited until he was sure Cladar's attention was focused on the controls before he walked quietly over to where the pods were stored. He looked around to make sure he wasn't observed and quickly slid something into one of the chambers, making sure it was hidden from view.

"The pods seem fine," he said to Cladar, returning back to his seat behind the controls.

"That is good," said Cladar. He watched Wylaria move his hands across the control panel, deactivating the course that he had only just plotted.

"Wylaria, what are you doing?" he asked.

"Ensuring the safety of the royal family as I am obligated to do by my oath," answered Wylaria. He flipped a switch and disarmed the cloaking device and slowed the ship's speed.

"I'm sorry Cladar, but I have to do this," he said.

"I know," whispered Cladar.

Wylaria jerked on the ship's control, and sent it plummeting to Earth.


	2. Chapter 2 Discovery

**Disclaimer:** Roswell, and it's characters do not belong to me. Melinda Metz, Jason Katims and 20th Century Fox have that particular pleasure. If I was lucky enough to own them, you just know the show would still be on the air, and you be watching that instead of reading this.

**Rating:** PG-13 to R for inappropriate language and some violence.

**Author's Note:** Richie and Hal are borrowed from Summer of '47. No copyright infringement intended.

**The Enemy Unknown **

**Chapter Two** – _Discovery_

_July 4, 1947 - Roswell, New Mexico_

The ship, instead of crashing into the ground in a fiery explosion, scrapped against the ground for several hundred feet before coming to rest, it's front end embedded in the ground. It was a testament to Wylaria's superior flying skills that they didn't end up in a giant fire ball."

Cladar unstrapped himself and leaned over to check the pilot's condition. He was alive, but barely. Groaning, he climbed out of his seat and dragged himself over to check the condition of the pods. All of them glowed from within, indicating that their precious cargo hadn't been disturbed.

From there Cladar moved to the back of the ship where Ticada and Nasd had been resting. He wasn't sure if he was relieved or not to see that they were both still breathing. Step by agonizing step, Cladar pulled himself to the front of the ship to release the door. He had to do his duty and see to the safety of the chambers before anything else happened.

He made his way carefully out of the ship and began to plot his position based upon the stars.

"Very impressive, Wylaria," he said to the empty night. "We are thousands of miles away from the area Ticada had chosen for the pods."

His keen sense of hearing picked up a droning noise, and he struggled to return to the ship before it was too late. A crashing in the underbrush told him he didn't have a chance of making it back to the ship. He threw himself onto the ground, and put his body into the hibernation mode they used for space travel. This would slow his heart rate and breathing so that both were virtually undetectable. With the technology on Earth, he felt safe that, were he discovered, he would be taken for dead.

Several hours past, before Cladar allowed himself to come out of the hibernation state. He opened his eyes slightly and looked around and found that he was no longer lying on the hard desert ground. A swift perusal of his environment caused his heart to sink. He was in the back of a truck, similar to the one they used to move the other pods, and lying next to him were the bodies of Wylaria, Nasd and Ticada.

Using his powers, he caused the engine of the vehicle to fail, and he felt it slow down gradually, before coming to a halt. He heard the muttered conversation from the front of the vehicle but he was unable to distinguish the words. A slam alerted him to the fact that someone had gotten out of the vehicle, and he lay quietly, waiting for the opportunity to free himself and his companions.

The opening on the back of the vehicle moved, and Cladar saw the face of a human, staring at him, his eyes reflecting a mixture of revulsion and awe.

"Richie! Richie, man you have to come see this!" the man shouted.

"Damn it, Hal, our orders were to transport these, not look at them!" shouted the other man. "This is a direct violation of orders. Now get back in the truck."

The cover of the truck flapped back into place, and Cladar felt his breath leave him with a whoosh. That man wasn't his enemy, he couldn't have killed him, even if he had the strength. He wasn't like Nasd and Ticada. He disliked violence, and indiscriminate killing. He felt the truck start back up, and start to move as he lost his grip on consciousness.

· 

Cladar felt Wylaria's scream of pain in his mind as their scientists cut into his body. He felt his friend's life slip away bit by bit as they explored the interior of his body. Stretching his mind out further, Cladar felt Nasd and Ticada, still alive, but unaware of what was happening to Wylaria. He could feel the hate coursing through Nasd's mind. He was consumed with rage for the people that had captured him. From Ticada, he sensed arrogance. Ticada was sure they would escape, and if lucky, kill most of the humans that captured them in the process.

A sudden sharp pain ripped through Ticada, and Cladar felt it as he probed Ticada's mind. Then, there was a sensation of floating, of drifting away. Cladar pulled himself out of Ticada's thoughts, lest he be caught by the same drifting sensation. He knew he would need all his faculties if he were to escape, and rescue the pods.

Cladar vowed that he would honor his friend by ensuring that the pods were safely delivered to their final hiding place. A darkness filled his heart as he felt the life fade away from both Wylaria and Ticada. He pulled himself up and looked around, relieved to find out that he was in a room, along with the four pods that had been entrusted to their care.

He climbed off the table and slipped out of the room and quickly located the truck that had carried them to wherever they had been taken. He rushed back inside and made short work of moving the pods into the safety of the truck. Feelings of guilt sent him back into the building to try and locate Nasd. While inside, he came face to face with the man who had peered into the back of the truck earlier that day; the man called Hal.

Cladar looked into his eyes, and saw that the man was not an enemy. This human would not betray him.

"Hurry," said Hal. "They've killed two of your friends. The other one got away. I'm sorry, I didn't think they'd do that to them. You must get out of here before it's too late. Once they discover your friend got away, they'll come after you."

Cladar raised his hand and in a burst of light, altered his appearance so that he looked like the man that was with Hal.

"Holy shit," said Hal. "You look just like Richie."

"Will that get me off of this place?" Cladar asked. "My looking like this Richie person?"

"Yeah, Richie's everybody's golden boy. You can do anything if you look like him."

"Thank you Hal," said Cladar.

"Quick, get going," Hal whispered. "I hear someone coming."

Cladar wasted no time. He rushed out of the building and climbed into the truck and engaged the ignition. He managed to find his way off of the base, and drove deep into the desert. Using the stars to track his position, he located a large sandstone enclosure he felt was suitable to house the four pods. Using his powers, he created a door in the large rock and proceeded to blast out a chamber large enough to contain the pods.

Acting quickly, he brought them inside out of the hot desert sun. He used his powers to carve out another room, one he thought he would use as his own when he came to check on the pods. He went to check the pods to make sure they were safe, when he felt a burst of energy, and heard a rumbling noise in the other chamber.

He stepped into the chamber and stopped shocked by what he saw. In the room was the Antarian holy artifact. It was their Granolith. Cladar bowed before it and backed away in fear. This was a sign that he had to honor his oath to the royal family. Cladar knew his obligation was to make sure that these pods survived, but he also knew that his sense of self-preservation was stronger still.

"I will come back, and I will check on them," he swore. "But I will not let myself be captured again. I will live among these people as one of them. If I do not live, I cannot protect the pods." He thought about Nasd and the hateful feelings he felt when he probed Nasd's mind. He decided then and there to block all thoughts of Nasd from his mind and close of any portals so that Nasd was unable to probe his mind. "It is better to be alone," he thought, "Then ally myself with someone such as Nasd."

Cladar slipped out of the rocky cavern he had created and climbed into the truck and drove off into the desert. He had done what he could to prevent Nasd access to his mind, but he had not done it quick enough. Nasd had managed to steal another vehicle and follow Cladar through the desert.

Nasd entered the sandstone cavern, and looked at the four pods stacked neatly in a corner where they were sheltered from the entrance.

"Nicely done, Cladar," he said, his voice echoing in the chamber. "You are very loyal. Too bad it will someday get you killed."

Nasd moved over to the pods and began to pass his fingers over the individual pods, trying to assess the best way to destroy them. A burst of energy struck him from behind, throwing him across the room.

"Cladar?" he shouted, turning around, but there was nobody there. He cautiously made his way into the other chamber and stopped and stared in horrific fear.

"They sent their Granolith?" he whispered. "How? Why?"

Looking back into the chamber that housed the pods, he noticed a glowing force field around three of the chambers. He carefully made his way towards the pods, and began to examine them.

"Zan, Vilondra and Rath," he said. "They are protected, and Ava is not. Damn, damn, damn, that means we made an error. We mixed up the pods. This Ava belongs with the others. She is the one Kivar has marked to come back. The others are too good. Damn. How can I fix this?"

Cladar thought for several minutes, then leaned over and began to work feverishly over the pod that housed Ava. Finally, he leaned back, exhausted, but satisfied with what he had accomplished.

"There, I have repaired the gestational timer mechanism. She will not emerge when the others do. Hopefully, I shall return in time to remove her before the others are ready to emerge. Have faith Ava, I will return to ensure that you take your rightful place on Antar alongside Lord Kivar."


	3. Chapter 3 Living Life

**Disclaimer:** Roswell, and it's characters do not belong to me. Melinda Metz, Jason Katims and 20th Century Fox have that particular pleasure. If I was lucky enough to own them, you just know the show would still be on the air, and you be watching that instead of reading this.

**Rating:** PG-13 to R for inappropriate language and some violence.

**The Enemy Unknown The Enemy Unseen**

**Chapter Three** – _Living Life_

_July, 2004 - Roswell, New Mexico_

Liz Parker Evans sighed and pushed her textbook out to one side and nibbled absentmindedly at the plate of Saturn Rings that sat in front of her.

"What's up, Parker?" asked Alex, slipping into the booth across from her.

"I'm not sure," Liz admitted. "Something is bothering me, but I can't quite figure out what's wrong."

"Come on, and tell old Uncle Alex about it," said Alex, reaching out and grabbing one of Liz's Saturn Rings.

Liz looked around the alien themed restaurant owned by her parents, and sighed again. Her gaze missed nothing, from the UFO mural on the wall to the tacky inflatable aliens that her father had hung from the ceiling.

"It's been over a year," she said to Alex, finally. "And nothing has happened, but we know they're out there. We have this unknown, unseen enemy, and we can't even start to fight them because they can look just like us. About the only thing we know is they don't have a well-developed sense of humor, or at least Nescado didn't. I can't stand living this way, any more."

"Have you told Max how you feel?" asked Alex. "I mean I'm one of your best friends Liz, and you can tell me anything, but you should let Max know how you're feeling, too." He reached out to grab another Saturn Ring, stopping only when Liz slapped his hand lightly.

"You can order your own plate," she said. "I need these. Dr. Deluca prescribed them. She said I needed to eat something salty and greasy to help bring me out of my grumpy mood."

"I'm glad to see you are taking the word of a specialist," laughed Alex. "Is it working?"

"Not so much," admitted Liz. "And I have talked to Max, and he's feeling the same way I am."

"Where are Max, and Maria today? Isn't it time for our Alien Lunch Bunch meeting?"

"Max is on his way, he said he had to stop at the store and that he'd meet me here. Maria and Ava took a little side trip today. She's convinced that Zan is going to starve to death, so she wanted to bring him some spaghetti sauce, and Ava went along to keep her company."

"So that explains why Kyle just walked in looking like he just lost his best friend," said Alex, looking towards the door.

Kyle stopped at the counter and placed his order before sliding into the booth next to Liz.

"Hey," he said, his voice glum.

"Cheer up, Kyle. She'll be back in a few days," said Alex. "You're not going to die without her."

"No, but it sure feels like I will," said Kyle. He reached over to grab one of Liz's Saturn Rings and had his hand slapped.

"Will you people leave my food alone," Liz said. "This is a restaurant you know, they have plenty of food her for you. You don't need to keep eating mine."

"Jeez, sorry, Liz," said Kyle. "If I wait for Agnes to bring my order, I'll be an old man."

"Here you go, Kyle," said Jeff Parker, sliding a Will Smith burger across the table."

"Hey, thanks Mr. Parker," said Kyle, reaching for the plate. "What happened to Agnes anyhow?"

"She's on a break," said Liz's father with a sigh. "What else is new?"

The three friends began to laugh, and Liz's father walked a way with a look of mock anger and disgust on his face.

"Why does your dad keep Agnes on, anyhow?" asked Alex.

"I don't know," said Liz, munching on a Saturn Ring. "Loyalty, I guess. She's been here forever. Blech, these are cold."

She threw the ring down in disgust and took a sip from her Cherry Cola.

"Allow me, madam," said Kyle. He looked around to make sure nobody was watching before he passed his hand over the plate of Saturn Rings. When he was finished, the rings were as hot and crispy as if they had just come out of the deep fryer.

"Thanks Kyle," Liz said sarcastically. "I could have done that myself."

"Alex, telephone!" Jeff Parker shouted, holding up the receiver.

Liz and Kyle watched Alex amble across the café and pick up the phone. It was obvious from the grin on his face that it was Isabel was on the other end.

"I think its bad news," said Liz, watching the grin on Alex's face fade.

Alex hung up the phone and came and sat back down and rested his head on his hands.

"What's wrong?" asked Liz. "Is Isabel okay?"

"Yeah, she just wanted to let me know she's ah, going on a little trip," said Alex.

"Hey, what did you just tell me?" laughed Kyle. "I believe it was cheer up, she'll be back in a few days. Wasn't that it?"

"That was different," said Alex, morosely. "Now we're talking about Isabel."

"You guys are too much," said Liz. "I think you'll both survive. See, Max isn't here, and I'm not falling apart. Oh, wait, there he is," She added excitedly, jumping up from the booth to wave to him.

Max walked across the crowded floor of the CrashDown, a worried expression on his face.

"We have a problem," he said before he even sat down.

"Why do I think this is alien related, and _not_ the flat tire variety of problem," said Kyle.

"Because it is," said Max.

Suddenly the door to the CrashDown opened wide, letting in a burst of the hot New Mexico summer.

"Oh my God!" shouted a woman, standing in the doorway. "Someone dial 9-1-1! There's a dead woman in the alley!"

"Oh no, Agnes!" Liz cried, jumping up from the booth. She started to run, but Max held a restraining hand on her shoulder.

"Liz, don't," he said, his voice urgent. "It isn't safe."

"No kidding," Liz said, bitterly. "Someone else is dead because of us, Max, and I'm not going to sit back and let it keep happening." She pushed his hand off her shoulder and walked resolutely out the door.


	4. Chapter 4 Shocking Revelation

**Disclaimer:** Roswell, and its characters do not belong to me. Melinda Metz, Jason Katims and 20th Century Fox have that particular pleasure. If I was lucky enough to own them, you just know the show would still be on the air, and you be watching that instead of reading this.

**Rating:** PG-13 to R for inappropriate language and some violence.

**The Enemy Unknown The Enemy Unseen**

**Chapter Four** – _Shocking Revelations _

"She's pissed," said Kyle.

"Ya think?" asked Alex?

"Liz wait!" Max yelled, running across the café. He reached out and grabbed her just before she walked out the door. "Don't go out there."

"Max, I have to," she hissed. "I told you back on Antar, I wasn't going to let anybody else I cared for die because of us. Someone did, and I'm going to find out who did it."

"Liz, will you shut up for a minute," said Max. "I'm trying to tell you, _I_ saw who did it, and the thing is, she looked like you."

"What?" said Liz. The blood rushed from her face, leaving her expression a ghostly white. "Are you saying you think I killed Agnes?"

"No, I'm not saying that at all," whispered Max. "I'm saying whoever did it looked exactly like you."

"Oh God, they're really here, aren't they?" She leaned against Max, pressing her cheek to his chest. "The Gadori, they're here."

Max took Liz by the hand and led her back over to the table where Kyle and Alex watched and waited anxiously. In the background they could here the sirens of the ambulance, and the sheriff drawing closer. Liz slid into the booth next to Kyle, who wrapped an arm about her shoulder.

"Liz, look, we're not going to sit here and let this happen again," he said. "After things settle down out there, Alex and I will scout around and try and see what we can find."

"Well, let me make it easy for you," Liz said, her voice trembling. "Look for me."

"What? What are you talking about Liz?" asked a confused Alex.

"Max saw who did it, and he said she looked like me," Liz answered, her expression filled with grief.

"Liz, come on, snap out of it," said Max. "She looked like you, but she wasn't you. You didn't do this."

"I have to go call Michael and Isabel," said Max. "Will you guys keep an eye on her?" he added, looking pointedly at Kyle and Alex.

"As if you have to ask," said Kyle.

"Max, wait," said Alex. "You be able to get a hold of Isabel today, she um, she went on a little trip."

"Oh great," groaned Max. "So you're telling me that Maria, Ava _and_ Isabel are all visiting Zan?"

"Not exactly," said Alex. "She's not visiting Zan, she's visiting your mother. She had some things she wanted to talk to her about something."

"Why can't she talk to our mom here?" asked Max, distracted for a moment from the danger at hand.

Alex flushed, his forehead turning a brilliant shade of red. Liz watched in amusement as the color slowly traveled from his forehead, down his face to his neck. She was positive that is he took of his shirt, his torso would be equally as red.

"Well, see, the thing is, we were kind of thinking about having a baby, sometime, and Isabel wanted to talk to your mother about the challenges of raising a child with powers, explained Alex. "No offense to your mom, Max, but while she can answer the diaper and burping questions, she can't field those questions."

"I can't believe you guys are thinking about having a baby," cried Liz, happiness pushing away the fear that had shown in her eyes only moments before.

"Yeah, well, obviously, we'll be tabling that plan for a while," said Alex. "What with the new alien invasion and all."

Alex's comment brought them all sharply back to Earth. Max stood up and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and punched in Michael's number. He walked over to an empty part of the restaurant while he waited for Michael to answer. When he did pick up, Max quickly relayed the information to Michael, and he agreed to meet them at the CrashDown.

Max returned to the table coincided with the entrance of Sheriff Valenti, along with the woman who had come in earlier screaming about the dead body.

"Jeff, can you get this woman something cold to drink?" asked Jim, escorting the still hysterical woman to a nearby table.

"Sure thing, Sheriff," said Jeff, rushing to bring them two glasses of ice water.

"Jeff, look," said Jim Valenti in an undertone. "I hate to tell you this, but the dead woman is Agnes. She was attacked in the back alley. I'm assuming she was on break?"

"Agnes was always on break," said Jeff, his voice flat. "I can't believe it. What happened, a heart attack?"

"Well, no, it seems, according to this woman over here that Agnes was attacked by a dark haired woman who. Apparently, she put her hand on Agnes's chest, and seconds later, Agnes fell to the ground."

Jeff shifted uneasily and looked over to the table where Liz, Max, and the others sat. Jim noticed Jeff's uneasy glance, and shook his head imperceptibly.

"I'd better try and contact Agnes' family," said Jeff.

"I'll do it if you want," offered Jim.

"No, Agnes was like one of the family," said Jeff. "I'll take care of it. I'll go ask Lizzie to watch the counter while I go make the call."

Jeff walked across he floor of the CrashDown and joined Liz and the others at their table. He quickly explained what was going on, and asked Liz if she would cover the counter for him. Liz agreed, and stood up, and the woman with Sheriff Valenti began to scream again.

"That's her, that's her!" she yelled. "That's the woman I saw in the alley!"

Everyone in the CrashDown turned to see whom the woman was pointing at. Their eyes followed the path of her outstretched arm and landed on Liz.

"Me?" squeaked Liz. "You think you saw me out in the alley. Sheriff Valenti, there must be some mistake, I've been in here the entire afternoon."

"I'm telling you, that's the woman I saw touch the other lady in the alley right before she fell to the ground!"

"Mrs. Jackson, calm down," said Jim. "Are you certain this is the woman you saw in the alley. Take your time and think carefully before you answer. I'm sure there was a lot going on, maybe you're mistaken."

"No, that's here, I'm positive," said the woman, her voice creeping higher and higher as her hysteria grew.

"Mrs. Jackson, calm down," said Jim.

"Calm down? How can you tell me to calm down?" shouted the woman. "That woman over there killed someone, and the only thing you're doing about it is telling me to calm down!"

"Mrs. Jackson, I can't do anything while you stand here getting hysterical," said the Sheriff. "If you'll just calm down, I can do my job."

Jim turned his back on the woman, rolling his eyes in exasperation. He looked at Liz, trying to telegraph his disbelief at the woman behind him.

"Elizabeth Parker Evans, I'm bringing you in for questioning in the death of Agnes Myers. Please come with me."


	5. Chapter 5 Book 'em Danno

**Disclaimer:** Roswell, and its characters do not belong to me. Melinda Metz, Jason Katims and 20th Century Fox have that particular pleasure. If I was lucky enough to own them, you just know the show would still be on the air, and you be watching that instead of reading this.

**Rating:** PG-13 to R for inappropriate language and some violence.

**The Enemy Unknown The Enemy Unseen**

**Chapter Five** – _Book 'em Danno _

Liz leaned her head against the glass of Sheriff Valenti's cruiser, and watched the scenery flash by. She swallowed, trying to tamp down the feelings of nausea that choked her throat. Again and again the acrid taste of bile filled her throat as her mind created images of Agnes lying dead in the alley, a silver handprint burned into her chest.

"Why are you bothering to bring me in?" she asked Jim in a frighteningly dead voice. "You know as well as I do, that if I did do it, I could do it to you, too."

"How can you even say that?" asked Jim, slamming on the breaks in shock. "I know more think you're guilty than I do my own son. Christ, Liz, I know you didn't do it. What kind of a person do you think I am? I never for one second doubted your innocence."

"Then why are we going through this?" asked Liz.

"It was the only way to shut that Mrs. Jackson up," explained Jim. "We need to keep all suspicion off of you, and having her proclaim your guilt at the top of her lungs certainly wouldn't do that. I thought if we brought you in, went through the motions of questioning you, and come up with an airtight alibi, it would keep people of your tail."

Liz turned her attention back to the window, watching the city she grew up in pass by in a blur. She grew up thinking Roswell was a safe place to live, but now it housed a new enemy. She raked her fingers through her hair, trying to find a solution to the problems that echoed in her head, but none were forthcoming. Finally, she gave up with a sigh, and leaned back against the seat and closed her eyes.

She felt the car come to a stop, and she opened her eyes to see where they were. She felt her stomach drop when she realized they had reached the sheriff's office already. Despite Jim's reassuring words, she still felt a strange sense of foreboding in her heart.

Jim climbed out of his vehicle, and came around and opened the rear passenger door, and reached in and helped Liz out of the car. He surreptitiously gave her arm a squeeze to reassure her that everything would be all right before he escorted her inside. 

"This way, Mrs. Evans," Jim said formally, pushing the door to the Roswell Sheriff's Department open. He hung back and allowed Liz to enter the dark building before him.

Liz stood inside the doorway, unsure of where to go, what to do, or how to act. Jim took her by the elbow and escorted her to a chair beside a desk and motioned for her to sit down.

"I'll be right back, Liz," he said softly. "Just sit there, and I'll get someone to bring you a cool drink."

"Thanks, Sheriff," Liz said. 

She watched Jim walk across the office. He stopped and spoke softly to Deputy Blackwood, who looked quickly in Liz's direction. He nodded several times, and slipped out of the room. The sheriff stepped into his office and closed the door.

With the sheriff out of view, Liz allowed her gaze to roam around the room, taking in everything from the faded wanted posters tacked up on the stained walls to the state of the art computers perched incongruously atop the ancient desks that filled the room.

"Liz?" said Deputy Blackwood.

Liz looked up, shocked to see the deputy standing beside her. She had been so lost in thought that she hadn't heard him approach. He leaned down and placed a can of soda on the table next to her.

"Sheriff Valenti asked me to bring this to you," he said. "He also asked me to take a statement of sorts from you. Just to make everything official," he added quickly. 

Owen Blackwood sat down at the desk and punched a few keys on the computer, pulling up a form on the screen.

"Where were you today, at approximately 12:15 p.m.?" he asked.

"At the CrashDown," said Liz. "I came by around 11:45 a.m. I was supposed to meet Kyle Valenti, Alex Whitman, and my husband, Max Evans for lunch at noon. I arrived a little bit early to visit with my father," said Liz.

"Did you leave the restaurant for any reason?" asked Deputy Blackwood.

"No, I ordered some Saturn Rings, and a drink and sat there and ate them," said Liz. She paused for a moment to formulate her next sentence, not wanting to say anything about Maria and Ava, lest anybody ask where they were. "When Alex showed up first, and then Kyle, and both of them ate my Saturn Rings. In fact, my father brought Kyle's order over and mentioned that Agnes was on break at the time."

"And can anybody verify your whereabouts?" asked Deputy Blackwood. He looked up, over Liz's shoulder, his expression widening slightly, and Liz turned to see the ubiquitous Mrs. Jackson standing in the doorway.

"Make this look good," the Deputy whispered in an undertone. "Mrs. Evans," he continued, his voice louder. "I asked you can anybody confirm that you were in the CrashDown Café from 11:45 a.m. until 12:15 p.m. today?"

"Yes," said Liz, succinctly. "Kyle Valenti, the Sheriff's son, as well as Alex Whitman, my father, Jeff Parker, and the 15 or so customers that were in the café at the same time."

"Thank you, Mrs. Evans," said the deputy, formally. "The Sheriff will be with you in just a moment. Hang on," he whispered. "I'll go see what's up with our friend."

Deputy Blackwood rose from the desk and crossed the room to stand beside Mrs. Jackson.

"Yes, ma'am, may I help you?" he asked formally.

"Yes, I'm here to make sure that woman is arrested for killing the poor woman in the alley," Mrs. Jackson said in a shrill voice.

"Ma'am, allow me to assure you that we are doing everything possible to find out what happened today. In fact, Sheriff Valenti told me that you would be in to make your statement, and he asked me to escort you to his office as soon as you arrived. Why don't you come with me?"

He reached out and touched the woman's elbow lightly and escorted her to the door that separated the sheriff's office from the rest of the department. Deputy Blackwood knocked lightly on the door and pushed it open, escorted Mrs. Jackson inside. He exited the office quickly, and closed the door behind him, but not before Liz heard the strident tones of Mrs. Jackson.

"Come on, Liz," said the deputy. "Jim asked me to take you back to the CrashDown."

"I'm confused," said Liz. "Aren't you going to book me or something?"

"Liz, you've been watching to many TV shows," laughed the deputy. "You were in a public place, in the company of the Sheriff's son. If that's not an airtight alibi, then nothing is. When the Sheriff asked me to get you a drink he also filled me in on what happened, and on your new friend, Mrs. Jackson. He knew nothing would appease her more than seeing you here, in the station. He told me as soon as she got here, to bring her to him, and get you back to the café. So come on, before Jim loses it and throws that woman out on her, um, ear."

Deputy Blackwood and Liz exited the Sheriff's office quickly, and he drove her back to the CrashDown, which was still crowded with several other deputies who were busy taking the statements of several customers.

· 

Mrs. Jackson smiled to her self as she climbed back into her car.

"There," she said to the empty vehicle. "That ought to keep them busy for a while."

She started the car, and drove quickly out of town, and parked in the parking lot of an out of business gas station. She looked around quickly, then extended her hand out in front of her. The car filled with a bright white light, and began to shake violently. When the light faded, and the shaking subsided, Mrs. Jackson was gone, and in the drivers seat was a young woman with flowing red hair and emerald green eyes. She started the car, put it in gear and drove off down the highway out of town.


	6. Chapter 6 Visitors From the Past

**Disclaimer:** Roswell, and its characters do not belong to me. Melinda Metz, Jason Katims and 20th Century Fox have that particular pleasure. If I was lucky enough to own them, you just know the show would still be on the air, and you be watching that instead of reading this.

**Rating:** PG-13 to R for inappropriate language and some violence.

**Chapter Six** – _Visitors From the Past _

Liz stood at the kitchen sink washing the dishes absentmindedly as she stared out the window into the murky twilight. Max, Michael and Kyle sat in the other room of their small apartment, trying to come up with some kind of plan. Alex had already left for Antar to update the others, and try and gather some more information on the Gadori.

A face appeared in the window above the sink, shocking Liz. Her scream filled the room, causing Max to come running.

"Liz, what is it; what's wrong?" he asked rapping his arms around her trembling frame. "It's all right, Liz. I'm here, tell me what's wrong."

"Th-there's somebody out there," she said, pointing a trembling hand toward the window.

Michael pushed past Max, and ran out the back door, and the slam of the front door alerted them to the fact that Kyle had charged out of the apartment that way.

They heard the sounds of struggling outside, and several minutes later, Michael and Kyle reentered the apartment through the back door, dragging a struggling man between them.

"Eddie?" Liz asked, looking at the man Michael and Kyle held. "Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me," snapped the handsome Native American. "Long time no see. Now, would you mind calling off your watchdogs?"

"As a matter of fact, I do mind," said Liz, the color returning to her face. "Was that you staring in my window?"

"Yeah, I was trying to get your attention, but you were totally zoned out. Then you screamed, and scared the shit out of me," said Eddie. "Come on," he added, struggling to free himself from Michael and Kyle's grasp. "Let me go."

"I don't think so, Tonto," said Kyle. "Not until we find out why you're here."

"I'm trying to tell you," said Eddie, "But you're really starting to piss me off."

"And you're starting to piss me off," said Liz, her voice as hard as steel. "Why are you here, Eddie? I haven't seen even a glimpse of you for the past four years, and all of a sudden, you show up? What gives?"

"Owen Blackwood was out at the reservation this afternoon," said Eddie. "He came flying out there, sirens screaming, lights flashing, looking for River Dog."

At the mention of River Dog's name, Liz relaxed slightly. The elderly Native American had been nothing but a friend to them. "Let him go," she instructed Kyle and Michael.

"Thank you," said Eddie, his tone sarcastic.

"But watch him," she added, her voice still cold. "If he makes one move, kill him."

"Wow, what happened to the little waitress who was embarrassed to because the menu carried redskin baskets on the menu?" asked Eddie. "All grown up and killing people, now?"

"I suggest you watch it, if you don't want your arm broken," said Michael, conversationally. "I don't like you, I never did, and it isn't going to take very much right now to piss me off. Got it?"

"What the hell is wrong with you people?" said Eddie. "Screw this, if River Dog wants to talk to you, he can come and see you himself." Eddie pushed past Kyle and started towards the back door, stopping when he found Liz standing in front of him, her arms folded in front of her, staring at him.

"What?" he cried, his voice exasperated.

"Why were you staring in the window?" asked Liz. "Why didn't you come to the door like a normal person?"

"Because I wasn't sure if I had the right house, so I looked in the window to make sure," explained Eddie. "That's all. There wasn't any ulterior motive, I promise."

"Fine," said Max. "Look, I'm sorry if we over reacted, but we heard Liz scream. I guess we're all just a little jumpy tonight."

"Gee, ya thing?" said Eddie.

"Let's go sit down, and start over again," said Liz. "Eddie, I'm sorry, but there's been a lot of stuff going on recently, and we're all on edge."

She turned and pushed the swinging door that separated the kitchen from the living room. "Why don't all of you go on in, and I'll grab some sodas for us. She watched and waited until they left the room, then leaned against the wall, trying to control the flood of emotions that had welled up inside of her.

She reached into a cabinet and removed several glasses, and looked in the refrigerator to see if there were any cold sodas. She cursed softly when she couldn't find any, and reached into one of the cabinets for a six-pack. She threw a bag of chips into a large bowl, put them, and the glasses on a tray. She picked up the six-pack and held it in both hands. In seconds, beads of moisture appeared on the cans, as the liquid inside cooled rapidly.

Liz grabbed everything and walked into the living room. She put the tray on the table in front of the sofa, and went to sit on the arm of the sofa, next to Max. While the others made meaningless small talk, she looked around the room. She was happy with the way their small apartment looked. She and Max worked hard to create a happy, safe environment, and she hated knowing that they were in danger of losing everything again.

"Nice picture," said Eddie, looking at the painting that held the place of honor over the sofa. "What is it exactly?"

"It's a picture of our wedding day," said Liz softly. "Painted for us by a very special friend." She looked at Michael and smiled her thanks at him once again. Not only did the picture remind her of the day she and Max were joined by the Granolith, it was also responsible for helping her climb out of the pit of depression she had fallen into after she lost her baby.

A small shudder passed through Liz as she remembered the fight with Tess that caused her to miscarry, but she shoved the sad memories aside, and forced herself to focus on what was happening now.

"So what happened out on the reservation today, Eddie?" asked Max. "You said Deputy Blackwood came out there looking for River Dog. Why are you telling us? We haven't seen River Dog in years."

"I wasn't supposed to hear the conversation between Owen and River Dog," said Eddie. "Owen told River Dog about a woman who was killed today in town, and that Liz was accused of the murder."

"I didn't do it," said Liz.

"I know that," said Eddie. "You're not a killer. Owen knows that too. So does River Dog, but that wasn't the interesting part of the conversation. It was how the woman was killed. There was a silver handprint on her chest. Owen thought it was important that River Dog know about that."

"Why?" asked Michael, drawn into the story despite his intense dislike of Eddie.

"I don't know. After Owen left, River Dog called me out of the kitchen. He knew I had overheard everything, and he told me I had to come and bring you to the reservation. He said it was important."

"Why didn't he come himself it it's so important?" asked Kyle.

"Because he's dying," said Eddie, baldly.


	7. Chapter 7 River Dog

**Disclaimer:** Roswell, and its characters do not belong to me. Melinda Metz, Jason Katims and 20th Century Fox have that particular pleasure. If I was lucky enough to own them, you just know the show would still be on the air, and you be watching that instead of reading this.

**Rating:** PG-13 to R for inappropriate language and some violence.

**Chapter Seven** – _River Dog _

"Dying!" cried Liz. "Why, what's wrong?"

"He's old, Liz," said Eddie, gently. He could see that his news bothered Liz, and despite his brusque manner, he didn't want to cause her any pain. "His body is wearing out. The doctors said he has cancer, but he won't go for treatment. He said that if it is his time, man and science shouldn't interfere with what the gods have in store for him."

"We have to get out there, Max," said Liz. "We can help him." 

"River Dog doesn't want your help," said Eddie. "He says he has information to help you."

"It doesn't matter," said Michael, unexpectedly attempting to diffuse a potentially tense situation. "Let's just get out there and hear what he has to say."

Michael elected to ride his motorcycle, and Max, Liz, Kyle and Eddie all climbed into Max's car, and followed Michael, through the night to the reservation.

Eddie directed Max to park his car outside a small home located on the edge of the reservation. Michael pulled his bike up beside them and climbed off and left the helmet sitting on the seat. He waited until Eddie climbed out of the car, then grabbed him and slammed him against it.

"Michael, what are you doing?" demanded Max.

"It just dawned on me that he might not be who he says he is. What if he's one of _them_?"

"Michael, it's Eddie, will you let him go?" said Liz

"Yeah, how can you be so certain?" asked Michael, not loosening his grip. 

"Simple, one of _them_ wouldn't know about the conversation Eddie and I had about the redskins baskets at the CrashDown," said Liz, calmly. 

"Oh," said Michael, abruptly releasing Eddie so that he fell back against the car. "My bad."

Eddie glared at Michael, as he motioned to the others to follow him. As they walked, Kyle pulled Michael back and whispered to him.

"Did you really think that he wasn't who he said he was?" Kyle asked. 

"Nah, I knew it was Eddie, I just don't like the guy, that's all," said Michael, flashing a grin.

"You are such a jackass, Guerin," Kyle said. "No wonder I like you, and I'm right there with you, I don't like that guy. He's wicked arrogant. What about this River Dog guy, what's he like?" 

"Pretty cool," said Michael. "At least he was. For a while, I was pretty positive that he was one of our protectors. That was before we knew that our protectors weren't really our protectors," he added unnecessarily.

"Are you two coming?" Eddie asked, standing by the door. He knocked softly on the door and pushed it open. He stood beside the door and waited for the others to enter before closing the door behind them. 

The small living room was crowded with the mementos River Dog had gathered over his long life. A small fire burned in the fireplace, despite the fact that the heat of the day still lingered. Beautiful, hand woven blankets graced the backs of the sofa and chairs. Kyle reached out and ran a finger over the skull of some desert animal. 

"That is a rabbit skull," came a quavering voice.

Kyle whirled around, trying to find the owner of the voice.

"River Dog, what are you doing up?" asked Eddie. "You should be in bed, resting."

"There is no time to rest," said River Dog. "There is much for me to finish before I cross over. Welcome friends. It has been a long time since we have seen each other."

"Hello, River Dog," said Max. "I'm sorry we haven't been out to see you."

"You have been very busy, I know," said River Dog. "Owen Blackwood has told me about some of your adventures." River Dog watched the looks pass between the friends and laughed slightly. "Do not act so surprised, I charged Owen with keeping you safe. He has watched over you for many years now."

"We, we never knew," said Michael.

"You did not need to know. Had you needed him, he would have been there to assist you. Your need was never great enough for him to reveal himself to you," explained River Dog. He began to gasp for breath as if the effort required to speak was too much for him.

"Maybe you'd better leave," said Eddie, moving across the room to hover protectively over River Dog. "This isn't a good time for him." 

"Silence, Eddie," said River Dog, his voice coming in gasps. "We don't have much time. I have wasted so much of it. I must tell them everything, before it's too late."

Max shot Liz a telling look, and she grabbed Eddie by the arm, and pulled him towards the small kitchen.

"Before we get started, why don't we grab some drinks for everybody, Eddie?" she asked. She forcibly dragged Eddie through the small house into the kitchen, and positioned herself in front of the door so he couldn't leave the room.

"Mind telling me what that was all about?" he asked Liz.

"Yes, I do mind, now why don't you get some glasses and some water or something?" she answered.

While Eddie, reluctantly got the drinks, Liz turned and looked back into the small, darkened living room. She saw a silvery glow fill the air highlighting the planes and angles of her husband's face. When the light subsided, and the room was lit only by the glow of the fire in the fireplace, she turned back to Eddie.

"Come on, we can go back in now." She reached past him and grabbed two of the glasses off the counter and went back to the living room.

"Is anyone going to tell me what's going on here?" demanded Eddie, following Liz out of the kitchen.

A loud, resounding no filled the room as Kyle, Max, Michael and Liz all answered Eddie's question at once. Eddie, however wasn't paying any attention to River Dog's guests. All his attention was focused on the elderly man, lying on the couch.

"River Dog! What happened, what did they do to you?" he cried, kneeling down beside the man.

"Don't be foolish," said River Dog, waving his hand. "I am fine. I must tell these young people about the Nescado, about the visitor." 

"But River Dog," interrupted Liz, gently. "You already did tell us about him, remember?"

"Not everything," said River Dog, his voice surprisingly firm. "There is much you do not know; much I must tell you, before it is too late."


	8. Chapter 8 Secrets

**Disclaimer:** Roswell, and its characters do not belong to me. Melinda Metz, Jason Katims and 20th Century Fox have that particular pleasure. If I was lucky enough to own them, you just know the show would still be on the air, and you be watching that instead of reading this.

**Rating: **PG-13 to R for inappropriate language and some violence.

**Chapter Eight **– _Secrets_

River Dog settled heavily back against the old leather sofa wheezing as he tried to fill his lungs with air. Liz looked questioningly at Max, wondering if for some reason, Max couldn't heal him. River Dog saw the glance that passed between the couple and smiled.

"Do not worry," the old man said falteringly. "He did as you asked, and cured the illness, but only death can stop the ravages of time."

"River Dog, I'm sorry," began Liz.

"Don't be. I've lived a wonderful and full life, and it is time for me to travel a different path, but before I do, there is more I need to tell you. There are some things about Nescado that I kept from you."

"Do you think you can tell us now River Dog?" Michael asked, gently. "Or do you want us to come back another time?"

"There will not be another time, my young friend. We must do this now, before it is too late. Before he comes back again," said River Dog.

Eddie helped River Dog to sit up, then held the glass of water to his lips, and he drank deeply, soothing his tired voice. When he was finished, he sank back against the pillows and resumed his tale.

"I told you of our visitor, whom I called Nescado. He stayed with us for a while, and learned as much as he could about the outside world. He would disappear for days at a time, but always, he returned to his cave; the cave I showed you. I never questioned the fact that when he returned, he would sometimes have a different face. It was just one of the many things I accepted about him." River Dog stopped talking and began to cough violently. Eddie and Michael helped him to sit up again, and Liz quickly brought the glass to his lips. River Dog took several small sips of the cool water, and his coughing subsided. He lay back against the pillows again, and Liz settled the blankets around his shoulders.

"River Dog, this is too much for you," said Eddie. "Whatever you have to tell them can wait."

"No it can't, Eddie, and I not only tell them, I am telling you, for I am passing on my charge to you," said River Dog. "Just before he left, Nescado took me to a secret place where he had hidden something of great value, and he charged me to look after them, and keep them safe."

"Them, them who?" asked Eddie, clearly confused.

"Us," said Max. "Nescado wanted River Dog to keep us safe."

"What are you talking about?" demanded Eddie. "River Dog said Nescado was her in 1947."

"Exactly," said River Dog, rejoining the conversation. "I was charged with watching over them. But I failed. After Nescado left, I watched over them, and then it happened. I went out to Nescado's secret place, and he was there. I was happy to see my friend, but he wasn't happy to see me. He demanded to know what I was doing there, it was then that I realized he wasn't Nescado. This person was evil. I was afraid."

"How did you know it wasn't Nescado?" asked Michael.

"When I touched him, I saw evil. I saw the dark and terrible things that he had done. Nescado, my Nescado was not like that," said River Dog.

"What happened next?" asked Kyle, totally absorbed by the story.

"I left, and didn't go back for almost a year," continued River Dog. "Then one day, a movie crew from California came here to film a movie. One of the crew members sought me out, and revealed himself to be Nescado."

"Was it your Nescado?" asked Max.

"This time it was," River Dog replied. "He told me he had created a life here for himself, and he was resigned to spending the rest of his days here. I was happy for my friend, and I didn't want to ruin his acceptance of his new life, but I had to tell him what had happened the year before. My news alarmed him, because he realized there was more of his kind here."

"More of his kind? What the hell are you talking about?" shouted Eddie. "What the hell have you done to him? He's having hallucinations or something?"

"Eddie, enough!" said River Dog, his voice unexpectedly strong. "You will listen. There will be time enough for questions, later."

"I'm sorry," Eddie said, sounding incredibly like a sullen child.

"My friend was very worried," River Dog repeated. "He didn't understand how this was possible. He thought the others had all died. He had felt them die. Nescado said there was a way he could probe my mind, and see the images I had seen, but he would only do it if I allowed it."

"And did you allow it?" asked Liz, anxious for River Dog to continue his tale.

"I did, and he was shocked at what he was able to retrieve from my mind. It was then, and only then that he told me everything. He told me that his name was Cladar, and the being I had seen before was called Nasd. He told me the people of a world called Gador, a neighboring planet of a world called Antar, and they had been charged to provide safe transport of a very precious cargo from Antar. He said they were bound by an oath to protect this cargo, but they were resentful of it. Two of the members of his crew, Nasd and Ticada hated anything to do with humans, and were resentful of being here. They didn't care about the oath, or their cargo. The third crewmember, Wylaria, felt much like Cladar did. They too were resentful of humans, but they didn't hate them the way Nasd and Ticada did. Both of them felt that humans were nothing but a substandard species which deserved to be removed from the universe."

"What happened to them?" asked Kyle. "How did they die?"

"Wylaria caused their vessel to crash." River Dog stopped, his head falling back against the pillow.

"River Dog?" Liz said, her voice a whisper. She knelt down beside the elderly man, and pressed her ear to his chest. "He's still breathing," she said with a sigh of relief. She lifted one of his eyelids and watched the pupil contract against the light. "I think he's just asleep," she said.

"I want you out of here, now!" said Eddie. "Before River Dog wakes up! You're killing him."

"Eddie, we're not killing him," said Liz, gently. "Time is doing that, and I honestly think the only reason he's lasted this long is because he feels that he has to tell us what happened."

"Yeah, well, I don't give a shit what you think!" said Eddie. "Now get the hell out of here before I," he stopped talking, and fell to the ground, unconscious.

"I didn't want to do that," said Max. 

"Max, you didn't?" Liz asked, her heart in her throat, afraid of his answer.

"He's only unconscious, Liz, and not for very long. He wasn't helping the situation any, and with all his yelling, I was afraid he'd wake up River Dog, and he obviously needs to rest," said Max.

"Let's find a place to put him," said Kyle. He and Michael lifted Eddie's unconscious body by his arms and legs, and followed Liz down the narrow hall of River Dog's home.

"Here, put him in here," said Liz, pushing open a door at the end of the hall.

Michael and Kyle dumped Eddie's body unceremoniously on the bed and left the room without a backward glance. Liz took a moment to smooth a blanket over Eddie's body before joining the others in the living room.

The shifting logs in the fireplace sent a shower of sparks up the chimney. When Liz looked back at the sofa, she was amazed to find River Dog awake, and watching them alertly.

"Where is my grandson?" he asked.

"Grandson?" asked Michael. "Is Eddie your grandson?"

"He is," said River Dog, simply.

"Well, um, Eddie had kind of a freak out," began Max.

"You mean he didn't handle the news very well," said River Dog.

"Well, yeah," said Max, looking embarrassed. "So I kind of encouraged him to take a nap."

"Please revive him," said River Dog. "He needs to be here. He needs to hear the rest of my confession as well."


	9. Chapter 9 Strange Visitor

bDisclaimer:/b Roswell, and its characters do not belong to me. Melinda Metz, Jason Katims and 20th Century Fox have that particular pleasure. If I was lucky enough to own them, you just know the show would still be on the air, and you'd be watching that instead of reading this.

bRating: /b PG-13 to R for inappropriate language and some violence.

bChapter Nine/b – IStrange Visitor/I

Kyle and Michael carried Eddie back to the living room, and dumped him unceremoniously into a chair. River Dog watched them, a glint of amusement playing in his eyes.

"There is no love lost between Eddie and you, is there?" he asked, unnecessarily.

"Not much," said Michael.

Max leaned over Eddie's supine body and pressed a hand to his forehead. Within seconds, Eddie's eyes flickered open and he groaned.

"What happened?" he asked. "I feel like I was hit over the head with a brick."

"You, uh, bumped your head on the corner of the mantle," said Liz. "Then you got kind of dizzy, so we had you sit down and put your head between your legs. Don't you remember?"

"No," said Eddie, baldly.

"Yeah, look, you were bugging us, so we knocked you out," said Michael. "Can we get on with the story?"

"You would do well to put your enmity behind you," said River Dog. "All of you! You are going to need each other in the future. Do not turn your backs on each other they way I did, for so long."

"Do you feel ready to continue the story?" asked Liz, softly.

"Yes, but only if you are ready to listen with not just your ears, but also with your hearts," said River Dog. He looked at each of them intently, waiting until each of them nodded in agreement.

"Cladar was very worried for my safety when he realized that Nasd had survived and had been to the hidden chamber. He offered to release me from my charge, but I refused. After everything he had been through, it didn't seem right."

"What had he been through?" asked Max.

"After the crash, they were captured and taken to the Army Air Corp Base. Cladar told me that their people are connected somehow, and when his companions died, he felt it, just as he felt the torturous experiments they performed on them before they died."

River Dog looked at them and saw that his words affected all of them greatly. He smiled to himself, taking a sip of water to disguise the tell tale grin on his face. IGood/I he thought to himself. ILet them know of the pain and suffering Cladar felt. Maybe they'd all develop some compassion./I

He placed the glass on the table and resumed his story. "Cladar managed to escape with the help of a young pilot named Hal Carver. He also rescued their cargo, and found a safe home for them, but this you already know. Anyhow, Cladar tried to convince me that it was no longer safe for me to watch over the cargo, but I refused to stop. Then the bodies started to appear on the reservation."

"Bodies?" asked Kyle. "What bodies?"

"For a period of a month, a string of mysterious disappearances occurred on the Reservation," said River Dog, sadly. "Nobody paid much attention at first, until one by one, the bodies reappeared, each of them with a silver handprint on their chest. Cladar made me swear never to return to the hiding place again. He said he would contact me again if there was ever any need for me to go there, and he told me how to contact him if I ever needed him. He was using the name Cal Langley, and he said that I would always be able to contact him if the need was great enough. He said we too had formed a bond like that which he shared with those on his crew. He would know if I were in danger."

"We never read anything about a lot of deaths out here when we were doing our research," said Max.

"That is because Cladar and I buried the bodies ourselves. We didn't want this kind of news to leak out to the rest of the town," said River Dog.

"Did you ever see him again?" asked Michael.

"Once," admitted River Dog. "Shortly after you emerged, he came to me in a panic because three of you had left your chambers, but the fourth was still there. Together we returned to the hiding place, to find that the fourth was now also gone, but that her chamber had been opened forcibly."

"Tess," said Liz, choking on the name. "Nasd took Tess with him."

"Yes," said River Dog. Cladar, Cal, that is, tracked the others down, but it was too late for him to retrieve them. So he told me to help you if you ever came looking for me."

"River Dog, what you're telling us doesn't seem like anything you need to confess," said Kyle.

"I am not done my story," said River Dog. When Cal left, I returned home, to find my wife, dead, a silver handprint on her chest. Heartbroken, I did not know what to do at first. Then I made a decision, I closed my mind off from Cal. I vowed never to have anything to do with him, or any of you again."

"But you did," said Liz. "When we came to you before, you helped us."

"Not like I should have," said River Dog. "I should have told you all of this then, and told you how to get in touch with Cal. It could have made a difference in your lives. I could have saved people if I had told you."

"River Dog, don't," said Liz. "You can't blame yourself. Look at what you were faced with. We don't blame you River Dog, please, don't blame yourself."

"Eddie," River Dog said, pulling himself up to a sitting position. I am passing on my charge to you. Protect them and help them. Contact Cal Langley, he will help you."

While River Dog was talking, there was a knock at the door. Michael stood and opened the door, his attention on River Dog's words, and not who was at the door.

"Friend," said River Dog, weakly. "You came." He held out a hand to the figure in the doorway.

"Why?" asked the stranger, entering the room. "Why did you close yourself off from me. I could have helped you, River Dog. The King could have helped you."

"Do not blame yourself, nor our young friend here," said River Dog, pointing at Max. "He tried to help me, but nothing can cure the ravages of time. I failed you, I failed them, I," he gasped for breath. "I failed."

River Dog collapsed against the pillows, and closed his eyes. He exhaled heavily, and then breathed no more.


	10. Chapter 10 Gadori 101

**Disclaimer:** Roswell, and its characters do not belong to me. Melinda Metz, Jason Katims and 20th Century Fox have that particular pleasure. If I was lucky enough to own them, you just know the show would still be on the air, and you'd be watching that instead of reading this.

**Rating: **PG-13 to R for inappropriate language and some violence.

**Chapter Ten** – _Gadori 101_

"Grandfather!" Eddie shouted. He pushed past Max and knelt down beside River Dog

"This is all _your_ fault," he spat venomously. "I told you that this was too much for him but you didn't care. You kept pressing him for details, and now he's dead."

"Eddie," Liz said calmly, stepping forward. She started to reach out a hand to touch his arm but Eddie pushed it away violently, causing her to stumble.

"Keep away from me, you alien freak bitch!" Eddie shouted.

"Watch it," snapped Max, don't make me hurt you."

"Right, blast me with your alien powers, you freak. Go ahead, do it," taunted Eddie.

"Shut up, you idiot," said Michael shoving Eddie down into a chair. Or _I'll_ be the one to kill you, and with my bare hands."

"Well, as amusing as this little drama is," said Cal Langley, leaning nonchalantly against the wall. "I do believe I'll be leaving now."

"No, I don't think you will," said Max. "I order you to stay."

Cal looked at him and laughed. It was a nasty sound that sent shivers down their backs.

"You don't really expect me to obey your orders, do you?" he asked snidely. "Please, the pact that was forged by our high priest ended when he was murdered by Kivar. When he died, the bond he enslaved us in was broken. We no longer live to serve you, we only have to ensure your safety."

The four friends exchanged worried glances afraid of what this news would mean to them. Max tried to speak, but found he was unable to put the hundreds of thoughts that flashed through his mind into words. Finally Liz found the courage to speak.

"Well, why are you here, then, if you're not going to help us?" she asked.

"I didn't say I wasn't going to help you, Liz, I said I didn't have to. There is a distinct difference you know, my dear," said Cal.

"I'm not your dear," snapped Liz. "My name is Liz, use it, or don't bother to talk to me at all."

"Feisty little thing, aren't you?" said Cal. "I can't see that attitude playing well on Antar."

"I don't give a damn about Antar, and besides, they didn't have a problem with my attitude when I helped to overthrow Kivar," said Liz.

"Wait, who's Kivar?" asked Eddie; still sitting in the chair that Michael had pushed in.

"Shut up," said Michael. "We so don't need to hear from you right now."

"Y-you've been there?" asked Cal. "Kivar is gone?" He fell heavily into the chair beside the fireplace and bowed his head. "This changes everything."

"Why, what do you mean?" demanded Max.

"As long as Kivar was alive, and in control of Antar, you were safe. He let you live in case he ever needed you to bolster his role as leader. If he's dead, you all are in great danger."

"No shit," said Michael, his voice ripe with scorn. "Tell us something we didn't already know. Wait, we didn't know that. Did we?" he looked at the others in the room, his confusion apparent.

"Let me get this straight," said Max. "The pact that was formed by my father and your head priest became null and void when Kivar killed the head priest. Kivar in turn must have formed some sort of pact with someone ensuring our protection. River Dog formed a pact with you, which you released him from, but he refused to be released and tried to pass the pact on to Eddie. Is that it?"

"Pretty much," said Cal. "Glad to see you're not just another pretty face."

"Eddie," said Max turning toward the other man. "As far as I'm concerned there isn't any pact, and you don't have any responsibility to us. The only thing we will ask is that you please keep our secret."

"This is all to whacked for me to even figure out," said Eddie, rising from the chair. "I always knew there was something weird about you, but I never, in a million years expected it to be this. Aliens? No friggen way!"

"Not really aliens, Eddie," Liz explained, gently. "Max and Michael are human, their ancestors came from Earth. We don't really have time for a history lesson, but lets just say some of those theories about Atlantis were right on target."

"This is just a little hard to, I don't know, believe. I don't know what I'm going to do, but I won't betray your secret," said Eddie. "But now, I need to contact some people about my grandfather."

"Thank you, Eddie," Liz said, softly. "And I really am sorry about your grandfather. He was an incredible man."

"Thanks," said Eddie, bowing his head.

"Listen, we'll just leave if you want so you can, you know," said Max.

"No, stay," said Eddie. "I have to go notify some people, and I don't want to – to leave him here alone." His voice caught as he tried to choke back the tears that threatened to spill out. Before the others could respond, Eddie flew out of the house, slamming the door behind him.

They all stood awkwardly listening to the sounds of Eddie's truck start up and pull away. Nobody knew what to do until Michael stepped forward and placed a blanket over River Dog's body.

"Why don't we go talk in the kitchen?" he said. "I don't think Eddie meant he wanted us hovering over, well, hovering."

"Michael's right," said Kyle, grabbing Cal by the arm. "Besides, I think we have a lot to talk about with our new friend."

"Surrounding yourself with more muscle than usual, aren't you, Zan?" asked Cal.

"I'm not Zan," said Max, shooting Cal a malevolent glare. "Zan is on Antar, right now. He's the king."

"What are you talking about?" asked Cal. "You don't mean the other set of pods survived, too?"

"Yeah, they did," said Max. "We'll go into all of that later. We need to know about the Gadori. How can we tell who they are, and how can we kill them?"

"You can't," said Cal, flatly. "Tell them apart from a human I mean. They're shape shifters, they can take on the physical characteristics of any person, or any thing. As far as killing, the usual methods will suffice."

"By the usual methods, you mean what, exactly?" asked Kyle.

"Shooting, strangulation, stabbing, plus anything the Royal Four can pull out of their hats, power wise," said Cal.

"That's the Royal Nine," said Kyle. "Glad to see you kept track of what your charges were doing."

"What Royal Nine?" asked a clearly confused Langley. "What are you talking about?"

"We'll file that under the things we have to talk about later, category," said Max. "Right now we have to," he stopped talking, his attention drawn by the sound of a truck slamming on its brakes, followed by the sound of a slamming door.

Footsteps pounded across the ground outside, and the back door flew inward, slamming against the wall, the force of the impact causing the glass to shatter. Eddie stood in the doorway, gasping for breath.

"You guys have a problem, you have to go, now!" he panted. "I stopped at the tribal council building to notify them about my grandfather." He stopped talking, and bent over clutching his stomach, trying to get his breath. "I got out of the car, and there was my grandfather, waiting for me."

"Oh, no, Eddie," Liz said. "That must have been so horrible for you."

"At first I thought it was his spirit, reminding me of his charge to me, but when he spoke to me, I knew that wasn't it. He was different. He asked me to find you, and bring you out to the cave. I told him I would, and then got the hell out of there as fast as I could. You guys have to go, you're in danger."

"Eddie, so are you," said Max, bluntly. "As soon as word gets out that your grandfather is dead, Nescado is going to realize that you knew it wasn't him."

"Max is right," said Cal. "You're in danger. You all are," he added looking at the group.

"Come on," said Liz, pulling Eddie by the arm. "Let's go get a bag packed for you. We have to get out of here, fast."

"We'll go back to town and grab our emergency bags and meet you at the pod chamber," said Max.

"I'll start calling parents," said Kyle, reaching for his cell phone. We don't want them freaking once we disappear."

"Be careful, Liz," Max said, unnecessarily. "I love you." He hugged her tightly and ran his hand over her hair. "We're going to end this, I promise you."

"I love you," Liz whispered. She hugged Michael and Kyle in turn and watched as the three friends ran out of the house. She turned and pushed Eddie down the hallway to his room and quickly helped him pack a bag, while Cal looked on, an amused expression playing across his face.

"You've done this before, I see," he said as Liz sorted through Eddie's belongings.

"Yeah, we've had to become pretty self sufficient since there wasn't anybody here to watch over us," she said, bitterly. "Is there anything you particularly value?" she asked Eddie in a kinder voice. "If so, get it now, because we have to get out of here."

Eddie left the room, and returned several minutes later with a small bundle in his hand. "I'm ready," he said, picking up the bag Liz had helped him pack.

"Let's go," she said. "Langley, I won't say it's been nice getting to know you."

"You are the feisty one," he said with a laugh. "And anyhow, I'm coming with you. I failed River Dog once; I won't do it again. I'm going to do everything in my power to keep Eddie, and the rest of you safe."

Liz didn't waist her breath arguing. She decided this was one problem Max could take care of later. She wasn't betraying any secrets by brining Cal to the pod chamber. He was the one who had placed the pods there to begin with. They hurried down the hallway and out the back door just as the front door began to open slowly.

"Shit, run," said Liz. "She climbed into the drivers seat of Eddie's truck, while he and Cal climbed in the passenger side. "Where are the keys?" she asked. Eddie began to search his pocket, frantically.

"Never mind," she said, and used her powers to start the truck. She slammed it into gear and tore off across the yard and onto the road.

"How'd you do that?" asked Eddie.

"Here, turn here," said Cal, gesturing frantically to his left.

"That doesn't go anywhere but out into the desert," said Eddie.

"I know," said Cal, but eventually it comes out onto the Pullman Ranch. There's a service road there we can take to the pod chamber.

Liz drove like the hounds of hell were on her tail, eventually slowing down when she came upon the access road that Cal had described.

"We're here," she said, pulling the truck in behind the giant sandstone outcropping that housed the pod chamber.

The trio climbed out of the truck and walked up the path to the rocks. Liz passed her hand over the hidden panel, and the door slid open, and they walked inside to the cool interior of the cavern. Liz leaned against the wall and slid to the ground.

The three sat in silence, until the door slid open again, and Max, Michael and Kyle walked in. Liz jumped up and ran to them and hugged them tightly. "I was so worried," she said.

"Don't worry," Max said. "We're here. We're going to figure out what to do. I brought the belts, and." He stopped talking as the chamber began to rumble and shake.

"What the hell is that?" Michael yelled, over the noise. He was thrown to the ground, as were the others.

As suddenly as it began, the chamber started to shake, it stopped. The small group climbed to their feet and looked around.

"Was it an earthquake?" asked Kyle.

"No, it wasn't," said Cal. "I felt that once before, when I placed your pod chambers in here. Shortly after that, something from Antar appeared."

"Yeah, the Granolith," said Max. "My father sent it down to Earth."

"Well it sounds like it just left," said Cal.

"Wrong again," said Kyle. "It left a while ago. It sounds to me as if it just got back, and that can't be a good thing."

The entered the chamber that housed the Granolith, and it stood in its former position, surrounded by a host of Antarians, their weapons drawn.

"Put down your weapons," Max ordered. "We are friends."

"If you are," said one. "Then you will be able to answer the question King Zan has asked. Where is the best pizza in the world made?"

"New York City," answered Max, Michael, Kyle and Liz in unison with a laugh.

The Antarians knelt down, inclining their heads towards Max and the others. As they did, they the Granolith came into full view, along with Isabel's body, which lay in its base.


	11. Chapter 11 War

**Disclaimer:** Roswell, and its characters do not belong to me. Melinda Metz, Jason Katims and 20th Century Fox have that particular pleasure. If I was lucky enough to own them, you just know the show would still be on the air, and you'd be watching that instead of reading this.

**Rating: **PG-13 to R for inappropriate language and some violence.

**Chapter Eleven** – _War_

"Isabel?" Max cried. He pushed his way through the Antarians that surrounded the Granolith and reached in and pulled out his sister's body. Cradling it gently in his arms, he carried her across the room away from the crowd and laid her gently on the floor.

"Max, what's wrong," said Liz, running up to him. She gasped in fright when she saw Isabel's face and body, covered with blast burns. "Is she – can you heal her?" she asked.

"I don't know," Max muttered. He put his hand over the worst of the burns and focused, and the skin began to slowly heal itself. He moved from burn to burn until they were all healed, but Isabel still didn't wake up.

Liz knelt down beside Max and put her hand on Isabel's neck and checked for a pulse. She smiled with relief when she felt the faint throbbing underneath her fingers. She lifted first one of Isabel's eyelids, then the other, checking for a reaction from the pupils. She was disconcerted to notice that her pupils were uneven. She looked over at her husband and noticed the streaks of blood that covered his clothing where Isabel's head had rested when he carried her across the room.

"Max, look," she said, turning Isabel's head gently to one side. She pushed back Isabel's hair to reveal a large gash in the girl's skull. Max put his hand over the gash, and focused with all his ability. He imagined the wound healing, and any and all pressure on her brain lifting away. He probed more with his mind and felt a pool of blood forming on the surface of Isabel's brain, and he used his powers to dissolve it.

When he was done, he sat back, shaking from his exertion, sweat pouring down his face. "Isabel, come on, wake up, damn it," he whispered. "Isabel?"

Isabel moaned softly, and her eyelids began to flutter. Max felt some of the tension fall from his body. Liz moved behind Isabel and helped her to sit up.

"Isabel, it's Liz, can you hear me?" she asked.

"Liz, what are you doing here?" Isabel asked, her voice filled with confusion. "It isn't safe. Zan was supposed to warn you. You need to go back before it's too late."

"Isabel, your home, your on Earth," said Liz, gently. "You came back in the Granolith. Can you tell us what happened?"

"War," Isabel whispered. "The Gadori. They attacked." She slumped back against Liz, unconscious once again. Liz laid Isabel's head gently on the ground and slipped out of her jacket and used it to cover her.

Max jumped up and turned on the Antarians who waited by the Granolith. He was relieved to notice that Kyle and Michael had put up a force field to keep them safe.

"Lower it," he said. "I want to talk to them, now."

One of the Antarians pushed through to the front and stood in front of Max.

"Quortoth?" Max asked. "Is that you?"

"It is, Ma'nith, or should I call you Max?" the Antarian asked. "I was one of the guards chosen by King Zan to be sent down to protect you and your families."

"Protection from the Gadori?" asked Michael, stepping forward.

"Yes, and the Aberjani," said Quortoth. "There are several pockets that remained loyal to Kivar, even after his death, and they are working in conjunction with the Gadori to bring down the royals."

"Damn!" Michael swore. "Okay, Kyle, call your dad, have him get out here. We need him to start bringing these guys in. Maybe your mom should come out with him, Max. That way she can bring Isabel and Liz home with her. Eddie can go back with him too. Kyle, ask your dad if he can stay at your place for the time being, will you?"

"Wait a second!" Liz cried. "I'm not going back to town. I'm going wherever you're going."

"So am I," said Isabel, weakly, struggling to sit up.

"Look, we've already got Maria and Ava up there," said Michael. "I don't want either of you in danger as well."

"Um, excuse me General," said Quortoth. "I have several messages I should deliver before you make any plans."

"Go ahead," Quortoth," Max said, a knowing smile playing upon his lips. He had a pretty good idea of what was coming up, and he couldn't wait to see how Michael dealt with it.

"First, King Zan says that on no account, should any of you come back to Antar. He feels that it wouldn't be safe for any of you. That being said, he also said that he knew you weren't going to listen, and to be careful, and that you'd know where to go."

"Fine, great," said Michael. "But that doesn't mean Liz and Isabel need to put themselves in jeopardy."

"I'm not done," said Quortoth. "King Zan's General also sent a message."

"What General?" asked Michael. "I'm here!"

"General DeLuca-Guerin says that you should shut the hell up, and that Liz needs to be there, and so does Isabel. She said to remind you that you are stronger together than you are apart."

"Maria's a general?" Michael said, incredulously. "What dumb ass did that?"

"I believe it was decided jointly between King Zan and King Drinian, and they both urged me to remind you about the spaghetti sauce incident and to tell you that they both said back then that Maria would me a damn fine general."

"Awe, hell," said Michael, groaning in resignation. "Maria with powers was scary enough. Maria with powers _and_ in charge, well, that's just terrifying."

"Dad is on his way out," said Kyle, sliding his cell phone back into his pocket. "Eddie, he said you're more than welcome to stay at our house. They'll be guards around to keep you, and my dad safe."

"The hell you say," said Eddie. "Screw that, I'm going with you guys. I didn't want to be a part of this, but I am, so if I'm in, I'm in all the way."

"I was afraid you'd say that," said Cal, who had been, up to now, watching the proceedings with disinterest.

"What are you talking about?" asked Max. "We don't need you, we don't want you, why don't you just get the hell out of here, and let us make our plans."

"If he's going with you, I'm going to," said Cal. "I said I was going to protect him. I failed River Dog once, I won't do it again."

"I'm glad to see your sense of loyalty is so strong!" Max snapped. "You swore to protect us, too, and look how figgin well _that_ turned out!"

_That_ was an obligation forced upon me, _this_ is by choice. There's a difference Max. Maybe when you learn it, you'll be ready to be a king."

Max turned around, ready to retaliate when a blast shook the sandstone outcropping, and he fell to the ground, pieces of falling rock littering the ground around him.


	12. Chapter 12 Regrouping

**Disclaimer:** Roswell, and its characters do not belong to me. Melinda Metz, Jason Katims and 20th Century Fox have that particular pleasure. If I was lucky enough to own them, you just know the show would still be on the air, and you'd be watching that instead of reading this.

**Rating: **PG-13 to R for inappropriate language and some violence.

**Chapter Twelve** – _Regrouping_

Michael pulled himself off of the floor and looked around trying to figure out what had happened. He groaned and rubbed the back of his head and felt a good size lump.

"What the hell was that?" he asked to nobody in particular.

"I don't know, but I feel like I was hit by a landslide," said Kyle groaning and pulling himself up to a sitting position.

"That could be because you were," said Michael. "Come on, help me check on the others."

Michael checked Max, and was relieved to find him breathing, and beginning to regain consciousness. Cal and Eddie were both still out cold, but several of the Antarians were beginning to awaken as well.

"Where are Liz and Isabel?" asked Kyle.

"Here they are, over here," said Michael, shaking his head in disbelief. When the shaking started, Liz had apparently thrown her body on top of Isabel's to protect her wounded friend.

"She really has a hero complex, doesn't she?" Michael asked nobody in particular, thinking of the great lengths Liz had gone through over the years to keep them safe.

Kyle knelt down beside Liz, and carefully turned her on to her back. He checked for a pulse, and smiled with relief. "She's got a pulse," he said. "So does Isabel," he added checking the other girl.

"Of course I have a pulse, Valenti. I thought we covered this already," said Isabel. "What happened? The last thing I remember is Liz, pushing me up against the Granolith, and covering me with her body."

"We don't know, yet," said Kyle. "We've been busy trying to make sure everybody's okay."

"Where's Max?" Isabel asked, her voice full of concern. "He should probably check Liz out and make sure she's okay."

"I'm right here," said Max, groaning as he sat up. "Where's Liz?"

"She's over here," said Kyle. "She's got a pulse, but she's unconscious. Eddie and Cal are over there. Both of them are unconscious too."

"No we're not," came a faint whisper from Eddie. "At least I'm not. What the hell happened, anyway?"

"That seems to be the question of the day," said Michael. "And the answer is still we don't have a clue. Are you okay?"

"Well except for the fact that I think my frigging arm is broken, yeah," said Eddie. 

Max looked over and saw Eddie's arm hanging at an awkward angle. He held a hand out to Michael who helped him up, and he limped across the chamber to where Eddie sat.

"Just sit still," he said. "This will only take a second." He held his hand over Eddie's arm. A soft glow emanated from his hand in a matter of seconds, Eddie's arm was healed.

"How the hell did you do that?" Eddie asked. "Is that what you did to my grandfather? Why didn't it work on him?"

"I can speed up the healing process, but like River Dog said, I can't stop time. Not like that, anyhow," said Max. "Eddie I would have given anything to be able to keep your grandfather alive, but I couldn't."

"He couldn't save my grandmother either, Eddie," came a soft voice from the base of the Granolith. "No matter how much he wanted to do it for me."

"Liz," said Max, thankfully. "You're okay."

"Well considering I had half a mountain fall on me, I'd say yeah, I'm okay. What about the others?"

"They're all starting to wake up," said Michael, looking around. "We'd better get outside and figure out what happened.

A sudden ringing cause all of them to jump, and Kyle sheepishly fished into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone.

"I guess this still works," he said. "Hello? Hey, Dad, listen,"

He stopped, apparently interrupted by Jim.

"Yeah, but," he said, trying again.

"No, everybody seems to be okay, but what," he started, then stopped and listened while his father spoke.

"No okay, I'll tell them." Kyle disconnected the call, and slipped the phone back into my pocket.

"That was my dad," he said, unnecessarily. "He said whatever we do, don't leave the pod chamber. Apparently, there's a whole flock of reporters and UFO hounds out here, trying to find the UFO that just crashed."

"The what?" Max shouted. "Shit, are we under attack, we have to get out of here and help them!"

"He doesn't know what it was," said Kyle. "He was out here to pick up the Antarians when he saw something come crashing out of the sky. Whatever it was collided with this stupid pile of rocks. That's what caused the shaking and stuff."

"Did your dad see what it was?" asked Michael.

"He couldn't make it out, but he said it wasn't a ship, unless the shrink them down to next to nothing. But he did say to hang tight until he could figure out a way to get rid of all the media and stuff."

"We can't just sit here all day, Valenti!" Michael shouted. "We need to get them out of here," he pointed to the Antarians, "And we need to get up there and help."

"This falls under the heading of shooting the messenger," said Kyle. "You're not telling me anything I don't already know. You got a problem, take it up with my dad."

"Michael's right, Kyle," said Max. "We can't sit around and wait for something to happen. We have to move."

"Look, my father has saved all our asses more than once, and I for one, intend to," began Kyle only to be interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone again. He quickly answered the phone and listened quietly for several minutes.

"Come on, let's go," he said. "That was my dad. They cordoned off the area, and cleared everybody out for a half mile all the way around. He left a van outside for us. We can get these guys back to town, and then come back here and head out to Antar."

Michael pushed his way through the Antarians and back into the outer chamber. He opened the door that separated the pod chamber from the hot desert and stepped outside. Once he was certain it was safe, he called to he others. Max and Kyle carried Cal's prone body out of the chamber and placed it carefully into the van.

Once everyone was packed into the overloaded van, Michael put it into gear and took off down the highway. Nobody noticed the small beacon of light that flashed intermittently on top of the sandstone outcropping that housed the Granolith.


	13. Chapter 13 A Warning

**Disclaimer:** Roswell, and its characters do not belong to me. Melinda Metz, Jason Katims and 20th Century Fox have that particular pleasure. If I was lucky enough to own them, you just know the show would still be on the air, and you'd be watching that instead of reading this.

**Rating: **PG-13 to R for inappropriate language and some violence.

**Chapter Thirteen** – _A Warning_

Liz placed a cool cloth on Cal's head, and watched anxiously as his eyelids fluttered.

"Cal. Cal, can you hear me?" she asked in her soft voice.

"What happened?" he asked. "I feel like someone dropped a ton of bricks on me."

"Pretty close, but not quite," said Liz, smiling with relief. Cal had been unconscious the longest. "Some object crashed into the rocks surrounding the chambers. It caused a mini earthquake inside. A lot of rocks came tumbling down and knocked everyone unconscious."

"Everyone?" Cal asked, raising an eyebrow. "You're telling me that _everyone_, the five of you, Eddie and myself, and what, fifteen, twenty Antarians all got knocked unconscious by falling rocks?"

"Um, yeah, I guess," said Liz, clearly perplexed.

"Think Liz, you're supposed to be the smart one, aren't you? Do you really think we all got knocked unconscious by falling rocks?"

"Well, Michael has a lump on his head," Liz said, defensively. "But statistically, you're right. There's no way we all got hit. Do you have any ideas about what it may mean?"

Cal struggled to sit up in the bed, wincing, and avoiding her question. "Ouch, I think I sprained something when I fell. Is there any particular reason why Max didn't heal me?"

"He wanted to, but he wasn't sure if your physiology was the same as ours, and he was afraid he may cause more damage," explained Liz. "Let me go get him, and he can help you now."

Liz jumped up from the chair she was sitting and rushed from the room. After she left, Cal looked around, taking in the sunny yellow curtains on the wall, and the pictures on the wall. Once picture in particular caught his attention. It showed a fountain of light. The color of the light ranged from a stunning purple, to glowing silver. Eight golden balls of light, arranged in two interlocking squares, surrounded the fountain.

Cal dragged himself off the bed amidst a series of groans and walked across the room to look at the painting.

"Well, I'll be damned," he said, looking at the painting, his gaze missing nothing, including the initials at the bottom. "Maybe I'd better tell them the truth after all. It looks like they could be ready for it."

The sound of approaching voices caused him to startle and limp back to the bed and lie back down before Max and Liz entered the room.

"Hey," Max said. "Liz said you were awake. I wanted to try and heal you, but,"

"Yes, Liz explained you were unsure of my alien physiology. Let me reassure you, Max. You can't do anything to hurt me if you try to heal me," said Cal. "Maybe if you had tried, it would have made this whole mess a lot easier to explain," he added cryptically.

"What?" asked Max.

"Nothing," said Cal. "Let me ask you a question, Max. What happens when you heal someone?"

"Lots of times, I get flashes of their lives, and sometimes, once in a great while, the connection goes the other way," said Max, looking at Liz, who stood silently in the doorway.

Another piece to the puzzle the swirled around in Cal's mind dropped into place. Max had healed Liz; that would have sped up the developmental process of her brain, and possibly given her powers. The picture on the wall of the two interlocking squares filled in another piece.

"Max, I need to tell you something before you try and heal me," Cal began.

"Can't it wait?" asked Max. "We really don't have time. We need to get out of here as soon as possible."

"No, it really can't," said Cal. "I need to talk to Michael too, it's important."

"In a minute," said Max. He held his hands over Cal's body, trying to sense where the pain center was located. When he felt it, he lowered his hands to the other man's body and began to heal. He saw flashes of Cal's life in Hollywood, as a famous producer. Images of Cal and a much younger River Dog appeared. Images of Cal in alien form in some sort of laboratory flashed in Max's mind.

Another set of images appeared in Max's mind, causing him to jerk his hands away from Cal's body in shock. Cal reached out and grabbed Max's hand and forced it back to his body.

"Do it, damn it. You wanted to do it, now do it," he gasped. "I told you to wait, and you wouldn't. Now you have to see it all."

"No!" Max shouted, trying to block his mind to the images that filled his head. "No!"

"Stop it! Stop it!" Liz cried. She rushed over and grabbed Max's hands, trying to force the connection to break, but instead, she too, got pulled into it, and the images Max saw began to fill her mind as well. Images of Max's father Drinian arguing with a strange man flashed through her mind. Four children playing together in the water, while four adults watched over them. The strange man showing two small children how to use their powers. She saw the man standing next to a blond woman, looking down on two newborn babies.

Using all the willpower she possessed, Liz managed to sever the connection between Max and herself. She leaned across him and slapped Cal across the face as hard as she possibly could.

"You _bastard_! You Goddamned son of a bitch! You get out of here now, and never come back. If he ever finds out about this, I'll kill you. Do you understand me?" She turned abruptly and stormed out of the room.

"Liz, wait, what is it?" asked Max to her departing figure.

"You didn't figure it out, Max?" Cal asked. "Don't you know, or are you trying to not know? Liz got it, didn't you?"

"You knew my father on Antar, didn't you?" asked Max, his voice bleak. "You're not a Gadori at all, you're human."

"Very good," said Cal. "Give the boy a gold star. But come on, don't stop there," he taunted. "Go for the bonus points, Max."

"No, it can't be," said Max.

"Come on Maxie boy, you're almost there. Just say it," Cal prodded.

"Max, what is it, what's wrong?" Michael shouted, running into the room. "Are you okay? Liz is an absolute basket case. What did he do to you?"

"Michael, get out, right now," said Max, his voice deadly. "I don't want you in here right now."

"Max, what are you talking about? If there's something wrong, you're not going to stay in here alone."

"Get out," Max said.

"Better do what he says, Michael," said Cal. "Max here is afraid that I'll tell you,"

Max reached out and punched Cal in the face, knocking him back against the pillow, unconscious, blood pouring from his nose.


	14. Chapter 14 Traitor

**Disclaimer:** Roswell, and its characters do not belong to me. Melinda Metz, Jason Katims and 20th Century Fox have that particular pleasure. If I was lucky enough to own them, you just know the show would still be on the air, and you'd be watching that instead of reading this. 

**Rating: **PG-13 to R for inappropriate language and some violence.

**Chapter Fourteen** – _Traitor_

"Michael, shut up and get me some rope, and send Liz back in here right away. I need to talk to her," said Max.

"Max, what the hell,"

"Just do it, Michael, and don't come back in here unless _I_ tell you it's okay," Max said, with a seldom heard tone of authority and absolute conviction in his voice.

Michael glared at Max, his anger filling his eyes with fire, but he did as he was told. He stormed out of the room, and ran directly into Kyle, almost knocking him over.

"Jesus, Guerin, what the hell's going on here?" Kyle asked. "Liz is totally freaked about something, and you're out here playing demolition derby with my body."

"I have no clue, but something happened in there. Max punched Call in the face, and ordered me to go get some rope, and stay out of the room. How about you, can you get any vibes or something off of them?" Michael asked, referring to the empathic powers Kyle had developed on Antar.

Kyle cautiously opened himself up to the others, and was assailed by wave after wave of anger, and betrayal. Before he could be overwhelmed, he closed the connection and looked at Michael.

"Yeah, probably, but not with you standing here. You're so mad right now, you're about to make _my_ head explode. I'll go grab some rope and bring it to Max. I was going to start bringing some of the others to the CrashDown, and to Evans house, but you can do that instead."

"Yeah, sure, whatever, I'll be delivery boy," snapped Michael. He stormed out of house and across the dusty landscape to Jim Valenti's workshop. He returned several minutes later and threw a length of rope at Kyle before rounding up several of the Antarian guards to bring into town.

"Tell his royal freaking majesty that I'll be back in half in hour, if it pleases him," Michael.

Kyle waited until Michael loaded the others in the car and drove off before he brought the rope into Max.

"What's going on?" he asked Max, tossing him the rope. "Michael is royally pissed at you, no pun intended.

"Where's Liz?" Max asked, ignoring Kyle's question. "I need to talk to her."

"I'm right here, Max," Liz said. "What are we going to do? We can't let Michael find out about this."

"Find out about what?" asked Kyle, looking back and forth at the other two. "Will somebody please tell me what's going on here?"

"No!" Liz and Max shouted together.

"Fine!" Kyle shouted right back at them. "It's not like I can't find out for myself," he reminded them. "Don't make me go all Counselor Troi on you."

"He's right," said Liz, slumping against the doorframe.

"He may be right, Liz," Max said. "But I'm starting to think we were wrong. Did you see what I saw? Did you see him in the lab?"

"Yeah, so?" asked Liz, clearly confused by Max's conversation.

"Liz, he was an alien. I mean, he looked like all the drawings we've ever seen of what an alien is supposed to look like," said Max.

"But Max," Liz said slowly, trying to find the correct words. "Did you see his image shifting? He was changing his appearance the way we did on Antar."

"What do you mean, shifting?" asked Max. "I didn't see anything except for a creature with a big head and large black orbs for eyes."

"Wait a second," said Kyle, breathing heavily. "I see it. I see what Liz is seeing. He stared at nothing for a few more minutes before closing the connection between himself and Liz. "Wow, that was weird. It's the first time I got actual images instead of emotions."

"What did you see, Kyle?" Liz asked.

"I saw the shifting and the flickering stuff you were talking about. It was kind of, oh, wait, I know, do you remember that Buffy episode where Buffy did that spell?"

"Uh, no," said Max, clearly impatient with Kyle's ramblings. "Not much into Buffy the Vampire Slayer, sorry."

"Buffy thought an invisible demon was making her mother sick, so she did a spell to see things as they actually were or something. Anyhow, every time she came in contact with her sister, or her sisters belongings, they'd fade in and out of existence, because the sister didn't really exist before that season," Kyle explained excitedly.

"You're point being?" asked Max.

"That's what Liz and I were seeing. We saw Cal flickering from what wasn't real to what was, or rather, from his shifted appearance to his real appearance," said Kyle.

"I don't buy it," said Max.

"Why not?" asked Cal. "It's true."

"If it's true, then it makes what you did even worse," said Max, angrily. "How could you do that, abandon us like that?"

"I didn't have a choice, Max. I didn't want to, I had to," Cal said.

"Bullshit!" Max yelled. "That is absolute bullshit. You left us here, and to appease your guilty conscience, you appointed River Dog as our guardian. Nice bit of pressure to put on someone who couldn't protect himself."

"Think Max. There was a real Gadori out there, and he didn't care who he killed, and worse, I had no way of recognizing him, for the Gadori are true shape shifters. They can become anything or anyone they want to become. I'm very skilled at changing my appearance. There weren't many on Antar who could change the way I did. I worked at it; I studied it, because I knew someday I would need it."

"Bull!" said Max. "You dumped us here, and turned your back on all of us, but worse than that, you turned your back on your own children."

"What?" Kyle shouted. "What are you talking about?"

"Cal, he's Michael and Ava's father," Liz said, bitterly. "All this time, Michael had someone here on Earth. The one thing he wanted was family, and he had it, too, only you deprived him of it."

She started to say more, but stopped as Kyle flew across the room and began to punch Cal.

"You son of a bitch!" he shouted. "You could have kept her safe. You could have kept her away from those bastards, but you didn't. You left her there and saved your own sorry ass!"

"Kyle, don't," said Max, pulling Kyle off of Cal. "He's not worth it. Ava survived, Michael survived. _He_ isn't worthy of the energy you're expending on him.

"Would somebody mind explaining to me what the hell is going on?" Michael said from the doorway. "First you, and now Kyle. What the hell did this guy do, anyhow?"

"It's nothing, Michael, come on, let's get out of here," said Liz, pulling on his arm.

"Come on," said Cal. "Tell the General what he wants to know."

"Don't talk to me, don't look at me," said Liz, exploding with anger. "My friends and my family mean everything to me, and I'm not going to let anyone like you cause them _any_ pain. I'll kill you myself if I have to."

"Liz, calm down," said Michael. "Max, is she pregnant again or something? I haven't seen her this pissed in years."

"What the hell," said Cal. He used his powers to burn through the rope that Max had used to restrain him and stood up and opened his arms to Michael.

"Hi, Son. Daddy's home!"


	15. Chapter 15 The King's Second

**Disclaimer:** Roswell, and its characters do not belong to me. Melinda Metz, Jason Katims and 20th Century Fox have that particular pleasure. If I was lucky enough to own them, you just know the show would still be on the air, and you'd be watching that instead of reading this. 

**Rating: **PG-13 to R for inappropriate language and some violence.

**Chapter Fifteen** – _The King's Second _

"What's he talking about?" asked Michael, confused by Cal's revelation. 

"Nothing, just ignore him," said Max.

"What's the matter, General? Do you need your mighty king to explain it to you?" asked Cal.

"Shut up!" Max roared. "Kyle, get Michael out of here," he ordered.

"No Max, I'm staying," Michael said, a kind of morbid calmness colored his voice. "Cal has something he obviously thinks I need to hear. Let him say it."

"I don't really think this is the best time," Max began.

"Yeah, but I didn't ask you what you thought," said Michael. "Did I? Now, why don't you, Liz and Kyle get the hell out of here and let me hear what Cal has to say."

"I'm staying," said Kyle. "This affects Ava as much as it does you, and if you end up killing him, I want to help."

Cal leaned back against the pillows watching the exchange between the four friends with interest. Their bond seemed to be as strong as the one shared by him and his dearest friend Drinian. He wasn't sure what they knew or what had happened to them, but he needed to make sure they were strong enough to handle what might still come.

"Michael, look, I really don't think this is a good idea," Max said.

"I didn't ask you what you thought, Maxwell," Michael said, his voice still amazingly calm. "If you want to stay, stay, but I'm telling you right now, keep you're mouth shut. Cal has something that he wants to tell me, and you're _not_ going to stop him.

Max looked at Michael for several long seconds, trying to get an accurate measure of his true temperament. He hated to see what Michael would do if he really lost it.

"Max, he'll be okay," said Kyle. "Trust me," he added, giving Max a pointed look.

"You aren't going to make me say it, again, are you?" asked Cal. "I would have figured you got I the first time. I'm you're father."

"Yeah, right, you're Darth Vader, and I'm Luke Skywalker, is that what you're telling me?"

"Star Wars, nice movie, even though it wasn't one of mine," said Cal. "You know, Lucas really did a great job with the marketing, but if he had,"

"Shut up," said Michael, his voice calm, but his eyes as cold and hard as granite. "You're not my father, if you were, I think my mother might have mentioned it."

"Dijanya's alive," Cal said. He seemed to shrink into the pillows even more, and the little color that was in his face faded away. "How? I saw her die myself. That's why I took on this suicide mission."

"What suicide mission?" asked Michael, intrigued in spite of himself.

The suicide mission where I tried to convince the Gadori that I was one of them, and get chosen to take the eight pods down to Earth for safe keeping. _That suicide mission,_" said Cal.

"No, there's more to it than that," said Michael. "You didn't accomplish all that in the time between my mother's supposedly dying, and our being sent to Earth."

"You're right," said Cal. "Well partly right, anyhow. Drinian didn't trust the Gadori at all, so I'd been working covertly for a long time, trying to establish an identity with them. This was long before Zan took the throne, you understand. Anyhow, just before Drinian stepped down, he instructed me to step down and pass on my position as second to my son, but in actuality, he instructed me to continue my dealings with the Gadori."

"Why didn't he ever tell us that?" asked Max. "He never said a word about it to us when we were up there."

"What!" Cal shouted. He struggled to sit up, groaning with the effort it cost him. "Drinian is dead. He disappeared, as did Kitana, his wife. They both disappeared when Kivar mounted his rebellion."

"Well, I got a big flat news flash for you, asshole; they're alive and well, and living on Antar, along with _MY_ mother," said Michael, tension creeping into his voice.

"No, that's impossible," said Cal, his voice shaking. "They're dead, they're all dead. They have /i to be dead. Drinian wouldn't have left me here if there was any chance he was alive."

"No, that makes no sense," said Max. "My father didn't know the Gadori had taken us to Earth. He was shocked when we told him about Nescado."

"That's because a contingent of Antarians was slated to bring you to Earth and watch over you," said Cal. "They were killed, all of them at the ship just before take off. I was there, I was part of the crew."

"You survived," said Max. "What happened."

"I killed one of the Gadori guards. Just before he died, I changed his appearance to resemble me, and I changed to look like," his voice trailed off. "And they didn't know I was alive, which is why they never came after me. But how did they survive? I saw Dijanya die with my own eyes; I know I did. And Drinian had disappeared before the insurrection had even started. What happened to them all?"

"That's really not the issue we're here to discuss, is it?" Michael asked, his voice hard. "We want to know about you, _Cal_. If you were supposed to come down to protect us, and ensure our safety, why didn't you?"

"I told you I knew there was a Gadori still alive here on Earth. He knew I was here, but the one thing he didn't know was where your pods were hidden. If I stayed here, I would have been out there all the time, checking on you, watching over you. He would have found me, and then, found you, and possibly killed you. I couldn't take that risk."

"That's bullshit," Michael said, his voice finally showing some of the anger he worked so hard to repress. "And what about Zan and Ava. Did you stay away from them, too?"

"Slow down," said Cal. "I'm confused."

"That's a freaking understatement," said Kyle, bitterly. "What are you confused about, dear Father-in-law?"

"Michael, Kyle, both of you chill for a second," said Liz. "I'm as mad as both of you, but sarcasm isn't going to help at all. Cal, you don't know who came out of what pods, do you?"

Cal shook his head, and Liz looked at Max who nodded in response to her unasked question.

"Max, Michael and Isabel all emerged from their pods at the same time when they were about six years old. Max and Isabel were found wandering in the desert by Philip and Diane Evans, who later adopted them. Michael was placed in foster care. Nescado came back later and took Tess from her pod."

"That much I do know," said Cal. "Contrary to what you all may think, I was keeping tabs on all of you, or I was after you emerged from your pods. I didn't get her in time to get any of you, though I did try. By the time I had arrived, the Evans family had already started adoption proceedings on Max and Isabel. I thought long and hard about trying to get Michael out of the foster care system, but I honestly thought it would be better for the three of you to be together."

"Yeah, right," Michael snorted. "Sounds all nice and convenient, but I'm not buying it."

"Michael, you're being quiet now," said Liz, calmly. "I'm telling the story. Cal, what about the four pods in New York? Did you check on them?"

"I tried, but Nasd knew where they were hidden. I made my way across the country to New York, but I was too late, by the time I got there, he had moved their pods to another location. I never found them."

"Ava said they emerged from their pods around the same time as Max and the others. I guess as they grew and matured, Nescado realized that Ava wasn't the clone she wanted," said Liz. "That's why he came back and got Tess."

"What do you mean, the clone he wanted?" asked Cal.

"The duplication process wasn't perfected when they made the clones on Antar," Liz explained. "They had eight viable fetuses, but statistically, four of them were destined to be, well, defective. Through tests, or a screening process or something the scientists tried to figure out which were which, and grouped them together that way, but Kivar's men messed them all up. Anyhow, Ava should have been here with Max, Michael and Isabel, and Tess should have been with Rath and Lonnie."

"You didn't include Zan in that list," said Cal as he slowly began to realize what had happened.

"Right, Zan was the statistical anomaly," said Liz. "He was good, like Max, and that's why Rath and Lonnie killed him."

"What?" Cal asked. "They killed him?"

"Well they tried," said Liz, "But Ava helped him escape and mind warped the others into thinking their plan worked. She was supposed to meet up with Zan, but Lonnie and Rath dragged her out here, thinking that Max was their fourth."

"But I wasn't," said Max, continuing the tale. "They were going to kill Michael and Isabel, and take their places, and have us all go back to Antar together."

"Now I'm really confused," said Cal. "Where are Rath and Lonnie now?"

"Dead," said Michael. "Alex and Maria killed them."

"And Alex and Maria are?" Cal's question hung in the air.

"I thought you said you were keeping an eye on them!" Liz snapped. "Alex is married to Isabel, and Maria's married to Michael," she continued. "Kyle and Ava are married, as are Max and I. The Granolith joined us together."


	16. Chapter 16 Smack Down

**Disclaimer:** Roswell, and its characters do not belong to me. Melinda Metz, Jason Katims and 20th Century Fox have that particular pleasure. If I was lucky enough to own them, you just know the show would still be on the air, and you'd be watching that instead of reading this. 

**Rating: **PG-13 to R for inappropriate language and some violence.

**Chapter Sixteen** – _Smack Down_

"What?" Cal shouted.

"I've had about enough of this," said Michael. "You say you were keeping an eye on us, but you don't seem to know about _anything_ that's happened in our lives. We don't need you anymore, Cal. I think it's time for you to say goodbye."

Michael held up his hand and prepared to fire a blast at Cal, who sat defenseless on the bed. Liz, who had been sitting on the edge of the bed, telling Cal their story jumped up and put up a defensive shield, emblazoned with the Antarian seal.

"Michael, no!" Max shouted. "Liz is there!"

While Max was shouting, Kyle flew across the room, and knocked Michael to the floor.

"H-how did you do that?" Cal asked, shakily, after Liz lowered the shield.

"Do what?" she asked, still keeping an eye on Michael.

"That, the shield," said Cal. "Only the king can do that."

"Apparently not, asshole," said Michael from the floor. "Valenti, will you get the hell off of me, please. I wasn't going to actually _do_ anything, you know."

"Look, there's entirely too much testosterone in this room right now," said Liz. "Why don't the three of you go have a Snapple and get in touch with your emotions or something."

"No way!" Michael said from his pone position. "I'm not leaving you alone with him."

"Right, because I can't take care of myself, is that what you're saying?" Liz asked, with a small laugh. "Michael, you need to calm down, and Cal needs to hear the rest of the story, _without_ interruption," she added. "I'll fill him in on the rest, and then you can come back and ask all the questions you want, okay? And I promise, if he gets out of hand, I'll kill him."

After Michael grudgingly agreed, Kyle let Michael up and waited until he stepped out of the room, then followed him to the small hallway. Max hung back and looked at Liz.

"Are you going to be okay?" he asked.

"Goodbye, Max," Liz said. She waited until he left the room before she sat back down.

"Don't piss me off," she said.

"_How_ did you do that?" Cal asked. "That shield?"

"Like I said, the Granolith joined us together, any one of us in entitled to rule Antar, Liz explained. "Zan decided to stay on Antar with Drinian and Kitana and rule, but any one of us, at any time could rule, and the people would accept us."

"How?" asked Cal. "All this happened here, Zan found you and you all activated the Granolith?"

"No," Liz said. "The eight of us, were joined by the Granolith here on Earth. "We figured some of it out on our own, after Alex decoded the books that were left with them, and Che'koth explained the rest."

"Decoded the books?" asked Cal. "And who is Che'koth."

"Yes, Max and the others emerged from their pods not knowing anything about their previous lives. Tess brought one of the books to Max when she showed up with Nescado. I guess that means he couldn't read Antarian either. Anyhow, Max and Tess went back to New York with Rath and Lonnie for some sort of summit between the warring factions. That was when Rath and Lonnie tried to kill Max. Anyhow, Max stole their copy of the book and brought it back to Roswell. Alex figured out a way to decode the books and figured out that the two of them had to be read together."

"Amazing," said Cal. "I really didn't know that they didn't have any knowledge of their lives on Antar. That would explain why they ignored the messages I left."

"You left messages?" asked Liz.

"All the time," said Cal. "Well, at first, anyhow. I'd shape shift into a student in school, and slip something in their books, or, I'd leave some graffiti around town, that I was certain they'd see. After ten years of trying, I gave up. I figured they were happy with their new lives and didn't want any part of me, or of their lives on Antar."

"They never got any messages," Liz said, baldly. "Or if they did, they couldn't read them."

"Yeah, well, how was I supposed to know that?" Cal said defensively.

"Maybe if you stuck around, and watched over them, you would have!" Liz shouted.

"I had to survive, too. I had to learn all I could about this planet, and figure out a way to survive, don't forget that, _princess_," Call snapped.

Liz drew herself up and glared at Cal. "I'm nobody's princess, least of all yours. If anything, I am your queen, and don't you ever forget it," she said in a voice edged with steel.

"Oh look at little Liz, going all royal on us," Cal taunted, trying to anger her more.

Liz took a breath, and forced herself to calm down. "I don't know why you're trying to make me angry," she said. "But it's not going to work, Cal. Right now, I'm your best chance for survival. Max, Michael and Kyle all want to kill you. Actually, I do to, but I'm trying to remain reasonable and listen to why you abandoned your family."

"Fine, you want to know?" Cal shouted. "I'll tell you. I was afraid, okay! I was alone, on this stupid planet, or so I thought, and I had to find a way to protect eight pods. I created an identity, and started to find my place down here. Then, I found out that even worse, I wasn't alone, and that one of the Gadori had survived. I thought I had been abandoned by the people on Antar who claimed to love me. I did the best I could to protect the pods, and I failed at that and then, my own son, niece and nephew appeared to want nothing to do with me. So finally, I said screw it, and focused on me. I built a life for myself here. And yes, I would come into town once or twice a year and check on Max, Michael and Isabel, but I even screwed that up. They were in danger, and I never even realized it."

"Cal, I'm going to leave you alone for a while," Liz said softly. She placed her hand gently on his shoulder but he jerked away and faced the wall. She waited one more second, watching him, and then left the room, closing the door softly behind her.

"What did you think?" she asked Kyle who had been sitting outside the door, listening to Cal, and reading his emotions.

"I think that is one messed up individual," said Kyle. "And if he were in county lock up, he'd probably be on suicide watch."

"What?" Liz cried, alarmed.

"That's why he's being such a jackass," Kyle explained as he and Liz moved down the hall to the living room. "He knows Michael has a temper, and so does Max. He's hoping to goad one of them into killing him. He thinks it's a fitting punishment for failing them."

"And when that didn't work, he tried to get me mad enough to do it," Liz mused. "I guess it's a good thing Maria's not here."

"You're telling me," said Kyle, sitting on the sofa next to Michael. "He'd probably be begging for mercy if she was."

"Who'd be begging for mercy?" asked Michael. "Not that idiot in there?" He leaned back against the sofa, trying to appear caviler, but Liz could see the pain in his eyes. She didn't have Kyle's empathic abilities, but even she could feel what he was feeling. He believed that once again, he was screwed over by the adults around him.

"Michael, it's not like that," she said.

"What's not like what?" Michael asked.

"Well, for one thing, Cal's not quite the asshole we all pegged him for," said Kyle. "He is totally and completely torn apart at the thought of failing all of you, which is why he's being such a jerk."

"He's hoping you or Max will kill him," said Liz. "He sees it as a fitting punishment for not protecting you; kind of a way of atoning for his sin. And he said he did try to contact you over the years. He said he'd leave you messages in Antarian. He'd slip them in your notebooks at school, and painted them on walls like graffiti. Do either of you remember anything like that?"

Both men searched their memories, and both could recall instances where strange doodles had shown up in their notebooks, or on book covers, and both were able to remember seeing graffiti around town that caught their attention, but they didn't know why at the time.

"But we couldn't read Antarian," said Max. "So we didn't know he was trying to contact us."

"And he didn't know you couldn't," said Liz. "Remember how surprised, Che'koth, I mean you're father was when he found out none of you had any recollection of your lives on Antar. Well, Cal didn't know you didn't know who you were or where you came from. He was under the impression that you had just turned your backs on him, and on who you really were."

"What a mess," said Max, rubbing his forehead. "I don't know what to do."

"Yeah, and what about Eddie?" Kyle asked. "What are we going to do with him? We can't take him to Antar with us."

"You can't go to Antar," said Cal, walking slowly into the living room. "You'll die if you do."

"The people we love are on Antar, and if I'm going to die, it's going to be by their sides," said Michael. "You can stay here and protect Eddie."

"Nice try, Michael, but no dice," said Cal. "I failed you once, I won't do it again."


	17. Chapter 17 Fight for Control

**Disclaimer:** Roswell, and its characters do not belong to me. Melinda Metz, Jason Katims and 20th Century Fox have that particular pleasure. If I was lucky enough to own them, you just know the show would still be on the air, and you'd be watching that instead of reading this. 

**Rating: **PG-13 to R for inappropriate language and some violence.

**Chapter Seventeen** – _Fight for Control_

"You're stupid if you go back there," Cal said. "You don't know how many Gadori are down here, and you don't know what you're walking into up there. Besides," he added. "How are you going to get back? Do you have a ship?"

"We don't need a ship," said Max. "There are other methods of travel available now, and we're going."

"So you're going to leave the people you love on Earth at the mercy of the Gadori to go and fight up there. Sure, that makes all the sense in the world," said Cal.

"You are _not_ my trusted right hand," said Max. "And I don't, and won't take advice from you. This decision will be made by the four of us, and you have nothing to do with it."

"You are so like your father," said Cal, laughing slightly. "So proud, so arrogant, so stupid."

Max's fist came out of nowhere and connected with Cal's jaw, sending him crashing into the wall.

"You dare to talk that way about the man you call king?" Max demanded. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

"I think that I'm the one that used to tell Drinian how it really was, and he, unlike you, used to listen to me. I didn't have to sugar coat it. You're nothing but a stupid bunch of kids playing war, that's what you are," Cal said. He pushed himself off of the wall, and left the room, albeit very slowly because of his newly acquired injuries.

"Do you think he's right?" Max asked, looking at the people he considered his best friends. "Are we nothing but a bunch of stupid kids playing a game."

"I don't know if he's right," said Kyle. "But he meant what he said. He really thinks we're making a bad decision."

"Yeah, while I think he's nothing but a stupid jerk," said Michael. "Screw him, we don't need him. Let him stay here, we'll do it ourselves."

"Maybe he's right, Max," Liz said, thoughtfully. "I mean, it's killing me to know that Alex, Ava and Maria are up there, but the Gadori are down here, too. Do we want to leave our families under the protection of a bunch of strangers? Besides, we really need to wait until Isabel's feeling stronger and talk to her, and find out what happened up there."

"Isabel's here, now," said Isabel, walking out of the Sheriff's bedroom. "So let's talk now."

"How're you feeling Isabel?" Liz asked, making room for her on the threadbare sofa that graced the Valenti's living room. Ava had made lots of changes in the Valenti home, but she hadn't touched the living room yet.

"We're holding our own up there," said Isabel. "The attack came out of nowhere. It was totally unexpected. Zan was totally blindsided because he didn't realize that he had anything to fear from the Gadori. As far as he knew, the treaty made by our Father and their High Priest was still in effect.

"Apparently, that treaty ended when Kivar killed their High Priest," said Max.

"Nice of them to share that information," said Isabel, dryly. "Anyhow, Zan mobilized quickly. He's really made some serious improvements to Aberjani, the ones that swore allegiance to the crown, that is. They've really come a long way since the mind warping was stopped, and they got to be soldiers on their own."

"Are they safe?" asked Kyle.

"For now," Isabel said. They charged the palace at dawn; the battle was going on when I arrived. It was chaotic. It was even worse than the battle when we overthrew Kivar. At least then, the people knew what to expect. This time it was different. We were besieged by the very people we considered to be our friends and neighbors. The Gadori had been systematically eliminating key people, and taking their places."

Isabel shuddered, remembering the carnage she had seen, and how horrific it felt to be killing people who resembled your friends.

"I don't know how we can fight them," she continued. "I was so afraid to kill anybody, on the off chance that I was mistaken, and they weren't Gadori. That's how I got hurt. I saw Charnja. She was in the diplomatic program at the Training Academy. I hesitated just a second, and she tried to kill me. I don't know what we're going to do."

"Who sent the Granolith back?" Max asked. "Was it Father?"

"No, it was Zan. He healed me enough to keep me alive, but he needed to conserve his strength to heal the others who were wounded. He and Alex got me to the Granolith and sent me home that way. They didn't think my body would handle traveling with the belt."

"We'll give it time to recharge, and we'll bring it back with us," said Max, decisively. "They may need it."

"No, we can't," said Isabel. "Zan was adamant. He didn't want us coming back. He said if anything happened to him, he needed to know that we were safe here on Earth."

"Is he freaking nuts?" Michael asked. "Maria's up there. I'm not gonna stay here, when she's up there."

"Michael's right, and Zan knew we weren't going to stay here. He relayed a message via Quortoth. We're going back, it's just a matter of when."

"Are Ava, Maria and Alex still okay?" Kyle asked.

"Oh Kyle, I'm sorry," Isabel said. "I should have told you right away. Ava's fine, and so are Maria and Alex. Michael, you'd be so proud of Maria. She totally took charge. You wouldn't believe she's Maria."

"I'm always proud of her," Michael said softly. "And yeah, I'd know she's Maria. When she decides something's going to happen, it happens, come hell or high water. If she's decided that we're going to win this war, then pretty much it's already won."

"We still have Cal and Eddie to deal with," said Liz.

"Cal, who's Cal, and Eddie? Do you mean River Dog's Eddie?" asked Isabel.

"Yeah, River Dog's Eddie, and as far as Cal, well it's confusing to say the least," said Liz. "Why don't we get you something to eat, and I'll tell you all about it."

Max watched as his wife slipped an arm around Isabel's waist and helped her to the kitchen. He shook his head in dismay as he thought about the problems that were ahead of them. There wasn't anything he could do to ensure their safety, or the safety of anybody he truly cared about, and it was killing him inside.


	18. Chapter 18 Split Decision

**Disclaimer:** Roswell, and its characters do not belong to me. Melinda Metz, Jason Katims and 20th Century Fox have that particular pleasure. If I was lucky enough to own them, you just know the show would still be on the air, and you'd be watching that instead of reading this. 

**Rating: **PG-13 to R for inappropriate language and some violence.

**Chapter Eighteen** – _Split Decision_

Max sat on the porch of the Valenti house, and stared, unseeing, out into the desert.

"I don't know what to do?" he said.

"Maybe this isn't your decision, Maxwell. Maybe this isn't one you get to call."

"What do you mean, Michael?'

"Look, I already know what my decision is. I'm going back up there, regardless of what you say, and so are Kyle and Isabel. Maybe you should consider telling the parents what's going on, and what they, and we are up against. Maybe they'll ask you to stay, but I'm guessing they won't. Hell, I know if my kid were in trouble, I'd do anything within my power to help them."

"When'd you get so smart, Michael?" Max asked.

"I've always been smart, Max, maybe you just learned how to finally listen."

"Ouch, that hurt," said Max. "But maybe you're right. Maybe I've finally learned how to listen. I'm going to go into town. You want to come?"

"No, take Kyle with you," said Michael. "I'll stay here."

Max went into the house, and a short time later, he arrived in town, with Liz, Kyle and Isabel in tow. A series of hurried phone calls had ensured that all the parents would be at the CrashDown, and Max pulled the car into a parking space directly across the street from the small café.

Liz ignored the closed sign on the door and pulled the door open and went inside. Her parents were sitting at a table along with the Whitmans, the Evans', Amy DeLuca and the Sheriff. She reached down and took Max's hand in hers and squeezed tightly for a minute.

"Let's get this over with," she whispered.

"I suppose you're wondering why we all called you here?" said Kyle with a feeble attempt at levity.

"No, we can pretty much guess that it isn't good news," said Jim. "So, why don't you just tell us and be done with it."

Briefly, and succinctly, Max explained what had happened, including the information that there was still at least one Gadori on their planet, if not more, and that they all were still in danger.

"Max, do you really think we care about that," said Philip Evans. "We'll be okay. Zan sent down guards for us. Why are you wasting time worrying about us when you should be up there fighting? We'll be fine, won't we?" He looked around at the other parents who were all nodding their heads in agreement.

"Well, we just didn't feel right not letting you know what was going on," said Max.

"Where's Michael during all of this?" Amy asked suddenly.

"Michael was planning on going back no matter what anybody said," Isabel explained. "He said that as long as Maria was there, nothing, and nobody was going to keep him here."

"I always did like that boy," said Amy, smiling.

"Isabel, are you sure you should go back right now?" her mother asked. "I mean, if you were just injured, maybe you should wait a bit."

"Alex is there," Isabel said simply. "My place is with him."

They made their goodbyes and left the café quickly. "It still doesn't feel right," said Max, but not going back to Antar doesn't feel right either."

"Max, the decision is made," Liz said. "Don't start second guessing yourself, or you'll go crazy."

"We still have Cal and Eddie to deal with," said Kyle from the backseat. "Any ideas?"

"I was thinking about trying to wipe Eddies mind clean of the whole mess," Max admitted, "But none of us have that ability. Plus, Eddie would still be in danger, he just wouldn't know it."

"Maybe we should just lay it out for him," Kyle said. "Just let him know exactly where he stands and see how he wants to deal with it."

"What if he wants to go to Antar with us?"

"I don't know," Max admitted. "I really don't see him wanting to do that, but we can't be sure. Let's just hope he won't."

"So that's where we stand," Liz said to Eddie. "We're going to be leaving tomorrow."

"Great," said Eddie. "What do I need to bring?"

Liz exchanged worried glances with the others seated around the dinner table. Thankfully Jim had invested in a few new chairs since that fateful Christmas dinner with Tess so many years ago.

"Eddie, see the thing is, you'll have virtually no protection on Antar. War there isn't like war here. You'll be defenseless," Isabel said.

"I'll be defenseless here, so what's the point," Eddie pointed out reasonably. "Take me back with you. I can help, I know I can."

"What?" said Kyle, staring intently at Eddie. "I'm sorry, my mind was wandering. What did you say?"

"I just said if you take me back with you, I can help you. I know I can," Eddie responded.

Kyle launched himself across the table, and grabbed Eddie by his shirt. "You stinking bastard he yelled. "Who the hell are you?"


	19. Chapter 19 They are Among Us

**Disclaimer:** Roswell, and its characters do not belong to me. Melinda Metz, Jason Katims and 20th Century Fox have that particular pleasure. If I was lucky enough to own them, you just know the show would still be on the air, and you'd be watching that instead of reading this. 

**Rating: **PG-13 to R for inappropriate language and some violence

**Chapter Nineteen** – _They are Among Us_

"Kyle!" Isabel cried. "Are you insane? What are you doing?" She pulled ineffectually at her friend, trying to stop him from hitting Eddie.

"Get off me, Isabel," Kyle said through gritted teeth. "I know what I'm doing. Now who the hell are you?"

"What are you talking about," asked Eddie. "You know who I am."

"Wrong answer," said Kyle. He cocked his arm to punch Eddie in the mouth, but Max reached out and grabbed it.

"Kyle, chill!" Max said. "What the hell is you're problem?"

"He's not Eddie," said Kyle. "Now will you let me go so I can kill him?"

"What do you mean, he's not Eddie?" asked Liz. "Of course he's Eddie. Redskin basket, remember?"

"That might have been Eddie, but this guy isn't," said Kyle. "Now if you're not going to let me kill him, can we at least tie him up? I'm getting gravy all over my favorite shirt."

"Kyle, are you sure?" Max began to ask.

"Max, if you don't get some rope right now, so help me Buddha, I'm going to kick _your_ ass right after I get done killing this guy," Kyle snapped.

Max nodded to Michael who left the table, and returned quickly with a length of the rope they had used on Cal earlier. Kyle shoved the faux Eddie back into his chair and held him there until Michael secured his bindings.

"Okay, Kyle, will you please explain yourself, _now_?" Max asked, a bit sarcastically. "I healed him in the chamber, remember. I got a few flashes off of him, and I'm telling you, he's Eddie."

"No he's not, Max. I mean, maybe the guy you healed in the chamber was Eddie, but this guy isn't. Number one, he's far to calm and reasonable to be Eddie. Eddie has a temper, this guy hasn't argued with us about anything."

"Maybe he's just showing a sense of maturity," said Isabel. "Something you may want to consider in the not so distant future."

"Thanks for your support Isabel," Kyle said. "It means so much to me."

"Well come on, Kyle," said Liz. "You're not really giving us a lot to go on here."

"Well, I'm not finished," said Kyle. "Jesus, you're all acting like I'm being super impulsive ore something. I'm not Michael you know! Anyhow, Eddie asked us to take him back with us. Why would he want to go back if he's never been there before?"

"Us, Kyle, we're the ones going back," said Max. "He wants us to take him with us when _we_ go back."

"Yeah, that's what I thought at first too," said Kyle. "That's why I asked him to repeat it."

"You read him, didn't you?" asked Liz with understanding.

"Yeah, and he's not Eddie," said Kyle. "He's a Gadori."

"Liz, go get Cal," Max instructed. "We're going to need him on this."

Liz jumped up and rushed from the dining room to the bedroom that Cal now inhabited.

"We need you're help," she said abruptly, rushing into the room.

"What's wrong?"

"It's Eddie, or rather, it's not Eddie," Liz said. "Oh never mind, just come on." She spun on her heel and left the room, with Cal following close behind.

"What's happening?" Cal asked when the two entered the dining area. "Why do you have the kid here tied up?"

"Because the _kid here_ isn't Eddie," Michael said, his voice like flint. "He's a Gadori?"

"You're sure?" asked Cal

"As sure as we can be," said Max. "I mean, it's not like there's a test for Gadori, is there?"

"A test, no," said Cal, thoughtfully. "What makes you so certain?"

Kyle quickly repeated what he told he others, and Cal looked at him with respect.

"You're empathic then? That's good, we can use that. As far as a test, no there isn't a test," said Cal. "But there is this."

Without warning, his hand shot out, hitting the fake Eddie in the chest. Cal shot a focused burst of energy at Eddie, and he morphed from his humanoid shape to that of the alien shape that Max had seen when he healed Cal.

"How'd you do that?" Max asked, amazed. "And more importantly, can we learn how to do it?"

"Why?" asked Cal. "Are you planning on walking up to every person you suspect of being a Gadori and blasting him or her in the chest? If you do, and they're not, you'll kill them."

"Oh," said Max, his enthusiasm a bit deflated. "Why did you do it then? Were you positive he wasn't who he said he was?"

"NO, but he was," said Cal, jerking his thumb in Kyle's direction. "And if he's empathic, he's the best chance you have of figuring out if someone is telling the truth or not."

"We can't ask Kyle to open himself up that way," said Max. "He works so hard on controlling his power. If he lets in too much emotion, it will kill him."

"Not if he does it right," said Cal. "While you were on Antar, did you learn anything at all about this power."

"Only a little," admitted Kyle. "Che'koth, I mean, Drinian mostly helped me learn how to block it. He said my studies of Eastern philosophy and meditation helped me learn quickly."

"They did, and they'll help you learn how to use it all the time without it destroying you. It can be done, and it will mean a lot of hard work on your part."

"Look, this is all well and good," said Michael. "It's not like I want to see you're brains turn to mush or anything, but did you all forget, we've got the freaking enemy sitting right here in the dining room?"

The sheepish glances from everyone told Michael they _had_ forgotten about the Gadori, if only for a minute.

"Where's Eddie?" Michael demanded, grabbing the Gadori by the shirt.

"Where do you think?" came the alien's sonorous voice.

"When did you switch places with him?" Max demanded.

"Today, while you were busy with _him_," the alien spat, contemptuously. "I went to his room, looking like one of you, and offered to drive him back to his home. He was all too quick to jump at my offer. I killed him of course," he added as an after thought.

"Just like we're going to kill you," Michael said, menacingly.

"Do you think that matters?" the alien sneered. "The enemy is her, they are among you. There are hundreds of them. You can't run, you can't hide. You'll never be able to track us all down. We are unknown to you and unseen by you, and we will win."


	20. Chapter 20 The War at Home

**Disclaimer:** Roswell, and its characters do not belong to me. Melinda Metz, Jason Katims and 20th Century Fox have that particular pleasure. If I was lucky enough to own them, you just know the show would still be on the air, and you'd be watching that instead of reading this. 

**Rating: **PG-13 to R for inappropriate language and some violence.

**Chapter Twenty** – _The War at Home_

Liz sat listening with a mounting rage as the Gadori spoke, until finally she could no longer listen to his mocking words. She held up her hand and prepared to end his miserable existence, when Max grabbed her arm and yanked it back down.

"Liz, don't!" he yelled.

"Why not?" she argued. "I told you, I wasn't going to stand by and let anybody else die because of us. Now Eddie's dead. He deserves to die too."

"We need him," said Max. "He's a source of information. We can use what we learn from him."

"And how do you know he'll tell you the truth?" Liz argued. "I mean, he had us all convinced he was Eddie. We can't trust anything he tells us. He could even be Nescado, Max. Did you ever think of that? Maybe he's Nescado, and he's the only one that's here!"

"He's not Nasd," Cal said. "And your Queen is right. We won't get anything useful out of him, not now, not ever."

"He's telling the truth about the other Gadori, though," said Kyle.

Max looked over at where Kyle sat, beads of sweat pooling on his forehead from his exertions.

"Kyle, stop it," Isabel said. "You're going to hurt yourself if you keep trying to read him."

"I'm not trying to read him," said Kyle. "I'm trying to block him. He's keeping the connection open."

"Max, we have to kill him," said Liz. "He's hurting Kyle."

"I'll do it," said Michael. "Liz, Isabel, why don't you go outside or something."

"Please, Michael, spare me," said Isabel. "Since when did you develop a softer side. We've both killed plenty of people back on Antar, I think we can handle watching one Gadori die."

Despite her brave words, Isabel's voice quavered as she spoke. Killing in battle was one thing. To cold bloodedly kill someone who was tied to a chair; that was another matter entirely.

"No," said Cal. "We need to keep him alive for a while longer, but you need to take Kyle someplace else, right away. If the Gadori is forcing the connection to stay open, he has a reason."

"What are you talking about?" asked Max. 

"I get it," said Michael, suddenly. "It's like what he," was doing," he pointed his finger at Cal. "He was goading us, trying to get us to kill him. He thinks that if he keeps the connection with Kyle open, we'll kill him to save Kyle."

Michael crossed the room to where the Gadori sat tied to his chair. He stared down at him, looking into his large black eyes until he found what he was looking for. He reached out and grabbed the Gadori around the neck and began to squeeze, exerting a gentle pressure on the creature's neck until he passed out.

Almost at once, the strained expression left Kyle's face, and he wiped the sweat from his brow.

"Thanks," he said. "That was rough."

"You can't be here," said Cal. "Not until you can completely master the skills you need to filter his emotions."

"Kyle, head out to the Granolith," said Max. "Make sure it's still secure, and then, I want you to see if you can activate it enough to scan you, and make sure that thing over there didn't hurt you."

"I'm not leaving," said Kyle. "I'm fine. You just tell me what I need to do to block that guy, and I'll do it."

"It takes time to learn," said Cal.

"Something we don't have," said Kyle. "So just give me the cliff notes version, and we'll call it done. But more important than that, we have to figure out a way to get information out of him."

"Are any of you skilled in nashra – pindo?" Cal asked, hopefully.

"Mind warping?" said Michael. "Ava and Alex are the best at it, but they're up on Antar, of course. Glad to see our luck is running true to form."

"I can do it a little," said Liz. "Remember," she added, looking at the ground. "When I was pregnant, I had to mind warp to hide the baby."

"You have a child?" asked Cal. "Where is he, on Antar?"

"He died," said Liz, the familiar feelings of loss washing through her body. "Tess tried to kill me, I didn't get a shield up in time. The baby took the full force of the energy bolt to protect me."

"I'm sorry, Majesty," said Cal, sincerely. "The loss of a child is a terrible thing indeed."

"Yeah, right," Michael snorted in the background. As far as he could see, Cal didn't give a rat's ass about anything, least of all his children. "Why do you need someone to mind warp?" he added, in a louder voice. "What are you planning?"

"Sometimes, people who are skilled at nashra – pindo are also able to extract information from people's minds," Cal explained. "It's highly illegal on Antar of course, but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen."

"Wait a second," said Isabel, who had been quite up until now. "I can do that. Well, sort of," she amended. "When I dream walk people, I can find out what they're thinking."

"Dream walk?" asked Cal, curiously.

"Yeah, if someone is asleep, I can get into their dreams and talk to them and ask them questions. They're usually so relaxed, that they'll tell me the truth."

"Perfect," Cal said, clapping his hands together.

"Wait, not perfect," said Max. "I don't want my sister crawling around in his head."

"It's not up to you, Max," Isabel said. "If it's going to help, I'm going to do it. We can get all the information we need to pass along to the guards before we go to Antar."

Isabel instructed Michael to move Sheriff Valenti's recliner over next to the chair the Gadori was tied to. She sat in the leather chair and took the Gadori's hand in hers and closed her eyes.

_The landscape consisted of scrubby trees in muted shades of gray. Isabel looked around until she spied the Gadori standing before a stream of purple water. She walked up to him and smiled.___

_"Where are we?" she asked.___

_"In the forest where I played as a child," he replied.___

_"It's very beautiful."___

_"It is home. Something I will never see again."___

_"Why do you say that?" she asked.___

_"We knew when we came down to that terrible planet that there would be no return home. But no sacrifice was too great for Lord Kivar."___

_"But Kivar is dead," said Isabel. "Didn't you realize that? He died in battle on Antar."___

_"You are wrong," said the Gadori. "Kivar had the best people working on the replication process. He resided on Gador, biding his time, waiting to strike back."___

_"No," Isabel whispered in horror. "You lie."___

_"You know I do not," said the Gadori. "Kivar raised an army to crush King Zan of Antar and take his rightful place as ruler of that world. We are loyal to Lord Kivar, we exist to do his bidding. We are to fight and destroy any and all remnants of the Royal Family. It is why we exist."___

_"How many men did Kivar send down here?" Isabel asked, trying to quell the mounting horror that rose up inside her.___

_The scene shifted, and Isabel and the Gadori stood inside a large barracks like building along with approximately fifty other Gadori. Isabel watched in dread as Kivar mounted a podium and began to speak.___

_"You will go to Earth," he commanded. "Find them, kill them. Do not stop until they are all dead. I do not care how long it takes, and how many people you kill. Do whatever it takes to kill the Royal Family."___

_"How can we stop you?" Isabel asked. "What are your weaknesses?"___

_"We have none," said the Gadori. "We exist simply to destroy the Royal Family. We can take any shape, any form. You will not know us, you will not see us. You will die."_

Isabel screamed and severed the connection between herself and the Gadori.

"Isabel, what happened? What did you see?" asked Liz.

"It's Kivar, he's alive. Again!"


	21. Chapter 21 Setbacks

**Disclaimer:** Roswell, and its characters do not belong to me. Melinda Metz, Jason Katims and 20th Century Fox have that particular pleasure. If I was lucky enough to own them, you just know the show would still be on the air, and you'd be watching that instead of reading this. 

**Rating: **PG-13 to R for inappropriate language and some violence.

**Chapter Twenty-One **– _Setbacks_

"Damn it," said Max. "We should have expected something like this. Do you suppose there's any chance his clone is defective, like his Vilondra clone?"

"Judging by the way things are organized, I'd go with no," Isabel said, bleakly.

"Isabel, we need you to think," Max said. "Was there anything, anything at all that you could see that we could use against the Gadori?"

"Max, he said they didn't have any weaknesses. I don't think he was lying."

"Cal, can you think of anything, anything at all that we can use against these guys?" Max asked.

"Pretty much, you're screwed," said Cal. "When they change into something, they take on all the characteristics of that species, including DNA."

"So blood tests won't work," said Liz. "Now what?"

"I vote for eating," said Michael. He passed his hand over his plate and heated his food back up and resumed eating, while everyone stared at him.

"What?" he said. "I'm hungry, and starving myself is _not_ going to give us an answer. We can plan and eat at the same time. At least I can. I don't know if Kyle's mastered that skill yet."

"I can't eat anything," said Isabel, looking at the food-laden table with disgust.

"Michael's right, Isabel," said Liz. "If nothing else, we need to keep up our strength, and to do that, we need to eat." She stood up and walked over to the table and sat down, and toyed with her food.

"Nice try Liz," said Michael. "But for it to work, you actually have to put the food _in_ your mouth. All of you, sit down, and eat. Pacing is _not_ going to solve this problem."

"He scares me when he's reasonable," Max said to Isabel. His comment caused her to smile slightly, and move to the table. He winked at Michael behind Isabel's back. He didn't buy reasonable Michael for a second. He knew it was just an act to get Isabel to stop focusing on her dream walk of the Gadori. There was a bond between Michael and Isabel that even he, as her brother couldn't break.

"You might as well sit down and eat, Cal," Max said.

"Such a gracious welcome," said Cal, sitting in the seat vacated by faux Eddie. "Is that what I think it is?" he asked pointing to a dish containing a noodle like substance.

"Only if you think it's bodrodnya," said Michael, reaching for the platter. "Max brought some back on his last trip to Antar."

Cal sighed with delight at the thought of the spicy sweet dish. He took the platter that Michael held out to him and slid some of the noodles on his dish. He offered the platter to Liz who wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"Thank you, no," she said. "One thing I _don't_ miss about Antar is the food. No offense to your culture and all, but the food is horrible."

"I'll say," said Kyle. "I don't know how we would have survived up there without those pills that Liz made, and the care packages from our folks."

Cal shoveled the bodrodnya into his mouth, and watched as the five friends bantered back and fourth, amazed at their ability to regroup and roll with the punches. It saddened him too that they developed this ability out of sheer necessity. If he had done a better job of protecting them, they wouldn't have needed to be so adaptable.

"Don't," Kyle, suddenly.

"Don't what?" asked Max. "Have more chicken? Why not, there's plenty."

"Not you, Max, him," Kyle said, nodding at Cal. "He's busy beating himself up over the lousy job he did of protecting you."

"Well he did," said Michael, baldly.

"Yeah, but if he hadn't, you probably never would have ended up with Maria, and Liz would probably be dead, and I never would have found Ava," Kyle said. "Did you ever think of that?"

"That power of yours is really developed, isn't it?" asked Cal. "You got all of that off of me in a matter of seconds. It's too bad the rest of you don't have that ability, or anything similar to it."

"The Granolith!" Liz cried, excited. Do you think that we could use the Granolith to accelerate our abilities?" She looked around the table, waiting for the others to share her excitement, but all she saw were blank stares.

"Don't you get it? My powers started because Max healed me, right?" The others nodded their agreement. "And Alex and Kyle's started to develop because Tess mind warped them to hell and back. But Maria didn't have any powers, even after Ava tried to nudge her brain."

"We were there, Liz," said Michael, not unkindly. "We don't really need the recap right now."

"Yeah, you do, because none of you are remembering how the Granolith activated and fixed Alex and Kyle, and gave Maria powers. Maybe we can use it to amplify that power in us."

"Liz might be right, Max," Isabel said thoughtfully, lifting a fork full of food to her mouth in an unconscious gesture. "It helped us so much remember, why can't we try and activate it to do this too?"

"Mostly because we don't know how, that's why?" said Max. "We don't know how to activate it."

"Maybe you should just take it on faith, Max," Cal said. "That's one lesson you're father and I never learned. Neither one of us ever really believed in the power of the Granolith. Don't make the same mistakes we did. Just take it on faith."

"Then let's go now," said Max.

"What do we do about him?" asked Liz, looking at the Gadori, still tied to the chair.

Without a word, Cal jumped out of his chair, knocking it to the ground. He crossed the room in three large strides, pressed his hand to he Gadori's chest and fired a concentrated bolt of energy into his chest. The Gadori glowed red for a moment and then imploded in a pile of dust.

"Someone's going to have to clean that up," said Kyle.


	22. Chapter 22 If at First You Don't Succee...

**Disclaimer:** Roswell, and its characters do not belong to me. Melinda Metz, Jason Katims and 20th Century Fox have that particular pleasure. If I was lucky enough to own them, you just know the show would still be on the air, and you'd be watching that instead of reading this. 

**Rating: **PG-13 to R for inappropriate language and some violence.

**Chapter Twenty-Two** - _If at First You Don't Succeed _

"Any idea of how we're going to do this?" Max asked as they stood in front of the Granolith. "I don't think we can use the four square to activate it, as half of us are missing."

"We can try," said Liz. "I mean, we don't have anything to lose, do we?"

They quickly arranged themselves in a makeshift interlocking four square pattern, and looked hopefully at the Granolith. After several minutes of waiting, they finally admitted defeat.

"Well, that went well," said Kyle. "In an alternate universe, maybe."

"You're not helping, Kyle," said Michael. "Unless you have something of value to contribute, shut up."

"And unless you want us to start thinking you're one of the Gadori, you'd better stop acting so damn calm and rational," said Isabel.

"What, I'm trying to turn over a new leaf," said Michael.

"Well stop," said Max. "We need hot headed impetuous Michael now. We don't have time to deal with the new you."

"Fine, someone figure out a way to get this frigging thing started," Michael said. "There, is that better?"

"Much," said Max.

"I have a suggestion," said Cal, who had been, up to now, watching the interaction between the five friends with great interest. The byplay between them, even during times of crisis, amazed him. Back on Antar, he would have never allowed such freedom in the ranks. But then again, back on Antar; Kivar had defeated his army. This bunch of kids had managed to defeat Kivar and take back the throne on their own. Who was he to mess with their success.

"Yeah, what?" asked Michael, unable to mask the contempt he felt for Cal.

"Why not try it with just four of you? After all, you were sent down as four. Max, stand here, Isabel, there, Michael, you stand over here, and Liz, over here," instructed Cal.

"What makes you so certain it will work," griped Michael as he moved into position.

"Nothing makes me certain," said Cal, "But as Liz pointed out, we have nothing to lose."

Liz stepped into place, and they stared expectantly at the Granolith, waiting for something to happen.

They were about to admit defeat when Kyle jumped up excitedly.

"Take it on faith," he called to the others. "It's like Cal said. You have to take it on faith. Believe that it's going to happen, and it will."

"Believe," said Liz, taking up Kyle's cry. "Believe." She focused intently on the Granolith, seeing it fill with light in her mind.

Slowly a pale strip of color appeared at the base of the Granolith. Isabel took up the chant of believe, and the color became more intense. Cal looked over at Max and saw his mouth moving as he silently formed the word believe.

The color intensified and began moving up the Granolith, growing stronger and stronger. Michael added his voice to the others, and the Granolith began to glow. The light spilled out from the top and filled the room with dazzling brightness.

Kyle walked up to the Granolith and placed his hand on its cool sides. Within seconds, he was pulled inside. He sat down and began to focus, trying to channel his ability to read emotions to the others. The light in the Granolith changed from silver to a dark amethyst color, and Max, Liz, Michael and Isabel were all bathed in the purple light.

The light began to fade, growing paler and paler as it receded back into the Granolith. The light faded completely, leaving an emotionally exhausted Kyle sitting in its base. Michael stepped out of the square first and reached inside and helped support Kyle as he climbed out.

"Man, am I beat," said Kyle, his voice weak. "I didn't realize it would take that much out of me."

"How'd you know?" asked Max. "How'd you know what to do?"

"It was amazing," said Kyle, his eyes filled with wonderment. "It's like the Granolith was telling me what to do; like it was alive or something. Do you remember when your father told us, Antarians always believed that the Granolith was an icon given to them by their deity?" he asked, looking at Max.

"Yeah, why?" asked a confused Max.

"I don't think the Granolith was given to them by their deity, I think it _is_ the deity. Or, at the very least, a conduit to talk to it," explained Kyle.

"No way," said Max, looking at the Granolith with something akin to awe. "Then we protect it like we protect our parents. We'll have to figure out some way to rotate the guards so that there are at least two of them hear at all times."

"Max," Liz said, gently. "The Granolith was here for over twelve years, and nobody ever found it. I think it's going to be safe here while we take care of this situation."

"You're right," Max admitted. "It's just that my father was so certain that his lack of belief in the Granolith is what led to the downfall of Antar the first time. I don't want to be caught in the same trap."

"You're not, Max," said Isabel. "Liz is right, the Granolith is safe here. Especially, if we use our powers to block it in with rocks so that nobody can get to it."

"That's a good idea, Max admitted. Still, before we leave, I want to examine the perimeter of this outcropping."

"Hey, I'm the general," Michael protested in mock anger. "I get to give those orders."

"Do you kids take anything seriously?" asked Cal. "You don't even know if what you did succeeded, and here you all are, making jokes."

"Excuse me, _Cal_," Michael said. "We know exactly what we're doing, now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go check the surrounding area."

He pushed past the others and climbed through the pods to the outer chamber. A small breeze of warm air filtered, indicating that Michael had opened the door to the outside world.

"I'm going to go help Michael," she told the others, shooting Cal a baleful look. "You know Cal, you don't know anything about us, or what we're capable of. And you definitely don't know anything about Michael. Maybe you'd do better to keep you're comments to yourself until you do." She glared at him one more time before she climbed through the pods.

"Wow, is she pissed," said Isabel. "And I can't say that I blame her. Cal, you don't know us. We get why you stayed away, but you need to get that we know what we're doing. And by the way, that keeping us at arms length act of yours isn't working, so you might as well give it up. You care about us, almost as much as Michael wants to care about you. The two of you are so much alike. You hold yourselves apart from people so you won't get hurt. In the end you end up hurting worse than ever."

"I guess it worked," Kyle whispered to Max. "Can you feel it?"

"Yeah, it's almost like it's tangible. Is this how it is for you, all the time?" Max asked, watching a chastened Cal follow Isabel out of the chamber.

"Pretty much," admitted Kyle. "That stuff your father taught me helped a lot, and I found some other stuff in the book translation that helped some. You know, someday, one of us _has_ to read that thing cover to cover," he said, referring to the fact that none of them had ever managed to read the complete translation of the two destiny books.

"Let's seal of the entrance to this thing," said Max. "Then we can help Michael and Liz and get back to town.

They made short work of concealing the chamber that housed the Granolith. Outside, Max and Kyle joined the others in their search of the area surrounding the Granolith. Relieved that they found nothing out of the ordinary, they prepared to head back to town.

"Wait a second," said Michael, standing outside of the Sheriff's Bronco. He shaded his eyes and looked on top of the giant sandstone outcropping. Without a word, he sprinted towards the giant rock and began scaling its rugged sides.

"Hey!" he shouted when he reached the apex of the monolith. "You'd better get up here, we have a problem!"

The others climbed out of the car and began scaling the sandstone outcropping with varying degrees of skill. Kyle reached the pinnacle first and stood beside Michael, looking at something in the ground.

"Damn," he said to Michael. "What is it?"

"How the hell do I know," said Michael. "Alex is the science geek, not me."

"Excuse me?" said Liz, as she struggled to pull herself up. "Alex is the science geek? What am I, chopped liver? Thanks," she added when Kyle and Michael reached down to pull her up. "Huh, look at that. Anybody know what it is?"

"Remember the science geek conversation?" said Kyle. "You're the one who said you were one of them."

"Well, yeah, biology," said Liz. "Alex is the techno geek." She turned to look at Max and Isabel, who had since reached the top as well. "Any ideas?" she asked. "I'm going with transmitter of some sort."

"You're probably right. Question is, whose transmitter is it?"

"It's Gadori," said Cal, quietly. "See the writing on its base? That's Gadorian."

"Do you suppose this means they located the Granolith?" asked Michael.

"Honestly, no," said Cal. "If they had, they would have been here already and tried to take it. My guess is that they sent it down with their troops for communication. It's only a coincidence that it landed here."

"I bet the impact of that is what caused the rock slide inside," said Isabel.

"And it's what knocked all of us unconscious as well," said Cal. "The signal it emits rendered us all unconscious until our bodies adapted to it."

"Why?" asked Max.

"I don't claim to know how it works, but I've seen it work before. When we brought the ship down in 47 in New York. We activated the cloaking device to hide the ship, but the signal also knocked people out in about a hundred yard radius," Cal explained.

"What happens if we destroy it?" asked Kyle.

"I don't know," admitted Cal. "I don't think they're hiding a ship out here. Even they couldn't be that dumb."

Liz pulled off her jean jacket and dropped it over the transmitter, her eyes scanning the surrounding desert as she did.

"Hey, over there, look!" she shouted, pointing into the desert.

Everyone looked to where she pointed and saw the landscape begin to shimmer and shift as a small ship faded in and out of sight. Exited, Liz reached down and pulled her jacket off the transmitter, and the landscape solidified, showing only rocks and a few scrubby trees.

"Yeah, they were that dumb," she said with a smile. "Now, all we have to do is figure out a way to get most of them out to their ship and destroy it, and them at the same time."


	23. Chapter 23 Pop Goes the Gadori

**Disclaimer:** Roswell, and its characters do not belong to me. Melinda Metz, Jason Katims and 20th Century Fox have that particular pleasure. If I was lucky enough to own them, you just know the show would still be on the air, and you'd be watching that instead of reading this. 

**Rating: **PG-13 to R for inappropriate language and some violence.

**Chapter Twenty-Three** – _Pop Goes the Gadori_

Max gave Liz a worried look, she sounded almost gleeful at the thought of destroying the Gadori, and that wasn't like her at all. Out of all of them, Liz was usually the most pacific; she abhorred violence of any type and usually worked to find peaceful solution. Not that she wasn't above defending herself or those she cared about, she just didn't take much joy in it.

Max slid an arm around Liz and squeezed gently.

"Don't worry, Max," she said. "I'm not turning into a homicidal maniac or anything, I simply want them gone, and hey, if they want to be stupid and park their ship where we can see it, why not use it to our advantage?"

"What did you say?" asked Kyle.

"I said if they want to be stupid and park their ship,"

"No, not that part," Kyle interrupted. "The first part."

"I told Max not to worry, and that I wasn't turning into a homicidal maniac," repeated Liz. "Why?"

"Max didn't say he was worried about you becoming a homicidal maniac," explained Kyle. "He was, but he didn't say it, so how'd you know?"

"I don't know," said Liz. "I just did."

"You know what this means, don't you?" asked Kyle, a giant grin splitting his face. "It worked."

"I don't feel anything," grumbled Michael.

"No offense, Michael," said Kyle. "But you have he emotional range and depth of a teaspoon, if it wasn't going to work with someone, it figures it would be you."

"I have more emotional range and depth than a teaspoon," Michael said in an injured tone.

"Yeah, he's moved all the way up to tablespoon," Isabel whispered to Liz.

"If you guys are done," said Max. "We need to figure out a way to get a majority of the Gadori out to their ship at the same time."

"I may know a way," Cal said, eyeing the transmitter. "Like I said, I'm not totally familiar with how it works, but I do know how to work it."

"What?" asked Max.

"It's like a car," said Cal. "You know how to drive one, but you don't know how it works."

"I know how cars work," said Kyle, to nobody in particular.

"What does that have to do with anything, Kyle?" Isabel asked.

"Nothing, really," he admitted, sheepishly.

"Well, can we focus on this then?" asked Isabel. "We'll admire your prowess with a wrench later on."

"Should I continue now?" asked Cal. "Or does somebody have another witty yet inane comment to make?"

"No, I'm done," said Kyle. "Michael, how about you?"

"I'm good," said Michael. "Liz, you all set?"

"I'm fine," said Liz, with a grin. "Isabel?"

"No, I'm good," said Isabel with a resigned sigh. "Max?"

"No, I'm all set," said Max, shooting Cal his famous Tom Cruise grin. "Look Cal, you may not like it, but this is how we deal with all the crap we've been forced to face these past few years. Now tell us about the transmitter."

Cal choked back the angry words that threatened to spill out at their irreverent behavior. Maybe Max had a point, he didn't know them, and he didn't have any right to criticize their coping mechanisms. After all, they'd been successful so far.

"Okay, the two buttons on the left are what activate and deactivate the cloaking mechanism," said Cal. "But if you press them simultaneously, they emit a danger signal. If the Gadori run true to form, they'll rendezvous at the ship."

"Giving us a chance to take them out," said Michael. "Nice, simple, effective, I like it."

"I'm so glad the General approves," said Cal, his voice laced with sarcasm. "And if you hadn't, we wouldn't do it, right?"

"Wrong," said Michael. "We're a team, we work together. If someone doesn't like an idea, we listen to alternative suggestions, and try and come up with something we all agree on."

"Damn stupid way to run an army," muttered Cal. "When I was the king's second, I,"

"We are not an army, and you are not the kings second any longer," Michael ground out between clenched teeth. "The sooner you realize that, the better. Maxwell, I'll meet you down below."

Michael climbed down the rocky path at a breakneck speed, sliding the last hundred feet to the bottom.

"You know, you're a real ass," said Max, glaring at Cal. "My father probably gave you that stupid assignment just to get you the hell out of his life. I'm going to go check on Michael," he added, turning to Liz. "Have him activate it, will you? Be careful on your way down."

"Why are you riding him so hard?" Isabel demanded. "You don't know him, you don't know any of us. What the hell is your problem, Cal?" She didn't wait for an answer, but turned and started down the same steep path Max and Michael had used.

"Not a smart move, man," said Kyle. He folded his arms and assessed Cal. "Not smart at all. Don't try to play us to get us motivated to fight, it's not how we work."

"And how do you work, Little Buddha?" asked Cal. "This isn't a game; you're soldiers, fighting a war. You seem to keep forgetting that."

"You know, I'm beginning to thing Michael, Isabel and Max were lucky you stayed out of their lives," said Liz. "We know this isn't a game. We're fighting for our lives, again. What you don't seem to understand, _Cal_ is that for better or worse, we have to do it our way, on our terms. We're stronger together than apart, and you're trying to push us father apart. Why?"

"I'm not trying to drive you apart," said Cal, struggling to understand what Liz was saying.

"You've been on this planet for over fifty years, Cal, haven't you learned anything about people in all that time? Did you let _anybody_ get close to you in all that time?"

Even as she asked the question, Liz realized with a growing sense of sadness that Cal hadn't let anyone get close to him. He had kept the largest portion of himself separate from the people he came in contact with. He was, in essence, the same general that left Antar fifty years ago. He wasn't playing at being a general, he was that general.

Liz looked at Kyle and saw the compassion she was feeling mirrored in his eyes. He walked over to the transmitter and pressed the two buttons Cal shown them earlier.

"Come on," he said. "Let's go clean up this mess so we can get to Antar and clean up that mess."

Kyle waited on top of the sandstone mass, while the others spread out around its base. Several Gadori emerged from the ship almost immediately, and Michael made short work of them, firing bolt after bolt of energy at them.

After several hours, the first group of Gadori's arrived, pouring out of a mini van like clowns climbing out of a mini car at a circus. Liz counted ten of them as Max and Michael fired on them, and Kyle rained energy bolts on them from above. Liz Cal and Isabel circled around the ship, to ensure that none of the Gadori managed to escape that way.

One by one they picked off the new arrivals, smiling grim smiles with every Gadori that fell. The doors to the ship opened once again, and three Gadori crept out and tried to circle around the back of the ship to make their way to the transmitter. Liz raised her hand before Cal or Isabel could react and killed them quickly.

"That was for Jose, Fred, and Agnes," she said, tears glistening in her eyes.

Isabel rubbed Liz's back gently, trying to absorb some of the pain the other girl felt.

"Don't Liz, let it go," she said. "You're hurting, but revenge isn't going to bring them back, and it's not going to make you feel better."

"I know," Liz sniffed, wiping a tear that off of her cheek. "I know."

Cal watched in amazement, trying to reconcile with the somewhat selfish Vilondra he remembered from Antar. Maybe had she had a chance to live, his niece would have matured the way her incarnation obviously had.

The battle raged on intermittently until sunset. Max estimated that they had eliminated nearly 30 of the Gadori. He whistled up to Kyle and signaled him to come back down. Liz, Isabel and Cal made their way back to the base of the, reaching the others at the same time as Kyle.

"How many do you think we got?" he asked.

Kyle reached into his pocket and pulled out a scrap of paper, with some writing on it.

"I counted forty six," he said. "I was trying to keep count. I might have missed a couple though," he admitted.

"We need an accurate count," Michael said. "Liz, do you think you could hide Max and I with a mind warp so we can go out there and count bodies?"

"I can try," said Liz.

She focused all her energy on Max and Michael, and they faded from sight. They hurried over to the ship, counting bodies as they did. They were back in several minutes, with an accurate count.

"Good job, Kyle," Max said. "It was forty six. That means if Isabel's dream walk was accurate, there are only four more out there."

"That's not quite accurate," said Cal, jumping up. He fired two quick bolts of energy over Max's head, dropping to more Gadori that had just arrived. "Damn, that felt good!"

"What's next?" asked Liz, taken aback by the look of glee that appeared on Cal's face when he killed the Gadori.

"We go back to Antar," came Max's response.


	24. Chapter 24 Malfunctions

**Disclaimer:** Roswell, and its characters do not belong to me. Melinda Metz, Jason Katims and 20th Century Fox have that particular pleasure. If I was lucky enough to own them, you just know the show would still be on the air, and you'd be watching that instead of reading this. 

**Rating: **PG-13 to R for inappropriate language and some violence. 

**Chapter Twenty-Four** – _Malfunctions _

Liz opened the storage closet in their apartment and removed the belts Alex had created on Antar that would allow them to travel back to the planet. When she located them, she backed out of the closet and looked around the apartment that she and Max had painstakingly decorated. She couldn't shake the feeling of foreboding that filled her. She felt like this was the last time she'd ever see her apartment again.

She crossed the living room and sat in the ugly leather recliner that Max had insisted he had to have, calling it his throne.

'Zan may have the real one,' he'd said. 'But this one is _mine_.' 

She smiled to herself as she remembered Kyle, ever the practical joker, making the wall above the recliner glow with the Antarian Royal seal every time Max sat in it one night.

"Liz, Liz, where are you?" Max called, rushing through the back door into their small kitchen.

"I'm in here!" she yelled, jumping up from the recliner as Max ran into the living room. "What's wrong?"

"It's Michael, he's missing," Max said, his face white with fear. 

"What?" cried Liz. "What happened? I just left the two of you less than half an hour ago."

"Oh, you did?" asked Max. "Damn, that blows that plan." As he spoke, the figure before her changed from Max into Mrs. Jackson, the woman who had accused her of killing Agnes. "No matter, though it would have been far more entertaining for me to kill you while I looked like your husband."

"You can try," said Liz. "But I don't think you'll succeed." She reached out and grabbed the woman by the arm and yanked her towards her. As the figure moved closer, she shape shifted back into the image of Max. Liz placed her other hand against the Gadori's chest and fired several quick bolts of energy into her chest, killing her instantly.

"Oh God, oh God," Liz whispered, clutching her stomach, overwhelmed by what had just occurred. She knelt down beside the pile of ash, and rocked back and forth, trying to stop the shivers that consumed her body.

"Liz!" a voice called. "Are you in here?"

Liz continued holding her stomach and rocking as Kyle walked into the room.

"Liz! What happened? Are you hurt?" he cried. Kyle knelt down beside her and wrapped his arms around his friend and held her tightly as she sobbed, releasing all the pent up emotion she had contained for so long.

"Shh, it's okay," he whispered, stroking her hair gently. "It's okay, Liz. "Don't worry."

They sat together on the floor, one comforting, one crying, undisturbed until Max returned home. Kyle held up a restraining hand to Max, while his other hand still stroked Liz's hair.

"Liz, it's okay, Max is here. I want you to look up and see him," said Kyle.

"What happened?" Max asked softly. "Was somebody else," he paused, unable to bring himself to ask if somebody they knew and cared abut had died.

Kyle shifted slightly, and the remains of the Gadori came into view. 

"Are you all right, Liz?" he asked. "Who was that? Was it one of them?"

"It wu-was you," Liz sobbed. "I k-killed you."

"Liz, I'm right here," Max said, reasonably. "You killed one of the Gadori, not me.

"You're wrong, Max," Liz said venomously. "God, I was so blasé when Maria killed Rath. I spouted cheerful platitudes. I'm surprised she didn't kill me."

"Maria did what she had to do, and so did Alex for that matter when he killed Lonnie, and you did exactly what _you_ had to do to stay alive."

"Wonderful, let's see how you feel when the next Gadori you kill has my face," said Liz. She turned her face back to Kyle's chest and began to sob again.

"Max, you'd better leave," Kyle said stroking Liz's back, gently. "You're not helping, in fact, you're making matters worse." 

"Kyle, she's my wife," Max said obstinately. "I'm not leaving." 

"Well why don't you try helping, then Max. Try listening to her with your heart," said Kyle. "Stop blocking her emotions. I can feel you doing it. Open yourself up to what she's feeling. She needs you." 

Max flushed an unbecoming shade of red, knowing that Kyle was correct. He had been purposely blocking the emotions that were pouring off of Liz. He remembered how bad Kyle felt when he first started feeling the effects of his empathic power, and he wasn't sure he could handle the burden as gracefully as Kyle had done.

"Liz," he said, kneeling down beside his wife. "I'm sorry. Please let me help you." He held his arms open, and Liz fell into them with a sob. He watched gratefully as Kyle stood up and left the room quietly.

"Max, it was horrible," said Liz. He came in here looking exactly like you, but when I realized it wasn't you, he shifted into that woman who accused me of killing Agnes. Then, when I reached out to kill her, she changed back into you. I was so afraid for just a spit second that I had actually killed you, and I fell apart."

"God, Liz, that must have been horrific for you," said Max, brushing her hair back from her face. "I'm sorry you had to go through that. But Liz, it's over, it really is, and as hard as it may be, you need to put it aside, we need to go back to Antar. We are not going to forget about this Liz. I promise you, we will talk about it, but right now, I think the safest thing for all of us to do is get the hell out of Roswell."

Liz scrubbed her eyes with the back of her hands and smiled weakly at her husband. She had felt it the second he stopped blocking her and opened himself up to her emotions. She needed, with every fiber of his being, for him to make that connection with her. She didn't know why it meant so much to her, but it did, and she was glad he had.

"Yeah, let's get out of here," she agreed, quietly. She scrambled to her feet and took one last look around the small apartment she had called home for the past several months and smiled to herself. The feelings of intense foreboding and danger were gone, at least for now. 

Together with Kyle, they traveled out to the pod chamber where Michael, Isabel and Cal were waiting for them. Kyle gave them a brief overview of what had happened back in town while Max and Liz readied the belts for travel. After giving Cal a brief explanation of how the belts worked, they strapped them on and activated them. After several minutes, it was apparent that nothing was going to happen. 

"Something must be blocking them," said Isabel. "Either that, or Alex did something to them from his end."

"Can he do that?" asked Michael.

"Alex can probably do just about anything with the right tools and a computer," said Isabel, her voice tinged with equal amounts of pride and frustration.

"This is just great!" shouted Kyle in an uncharacteristic display of temper. He took his belt off and threw it across the chamber, striking the control panel of the Granolith. "I have to get up there," said Kyle. "Ava needs me! I have to get to her!" 

"Yeah, great, you think you're the only one anxious to get back there!" Michael shouted. "But we're screwed, the belts don't work, and the only person with the slightest chance of fixing them is already on Antar. What the hell do you want us to do?"

"Why can't we use the Granolith?" asked Isabel. "It's how I got here, remember?"

"No," said Max, immediately. "Zan would have called it back right way, unless he wanted it left here for safe keeping. We can't risk bringing it back. Damn it, there's got to be another way." 

"There is," said Cal, softly, but nobody paid any attention to him. 

"Liz, can you figure out what's wrong with the belts?" Michael asked. 

"I don't know," she admitted. "I doubt it. Alex explained the basic operation to me, but I wouldn't even begin to know how to fix them. We'd have a better chance of stealing the Gadori's ship and flying it back to Antar."

"I can do that," said Cal.

"What are you ranting on about?" Michael shouted. "Wait, what did you just say?" he asked in a quieter tone as Cal's earlier words finally penetrated his consciousness.

"I said I could fly that Gadori ship out there. We can take that back to Antar."


	25. Chapter 25 Take Off and Take Out

**Disclaimer:** Roswell, and its characters do not belong to me. Melinda Metz, Jason Katims and 20th Century Fox have that particular pleasure. If I was lucky enough to own them, you just know the show would still be on the air, and you'd be watching that instead of reading this. 

**Rating: **PG-13 to R for inappropriate language and some violence.

**Chapter Twenty – Five** – _Take Out and Take Off_

They waited until night cloaked the desert before they boarded the Gadori ship. Michael, following Cal's instructions deactivated and destroyed the cloaking device. They didn't want to take any chances of having it discovered because it was located virtually on top of the Granolith.

Cal activated a control panel on the outside of the ship, and a door slowly opened, allowing them access into the dimly lit interior of the Gadori ship. Cal and Michael took the lead into the ship, while Kyle brought up the rear, effectively cocooning Max, Liz and Isabel in an effort to keep them safe.

"This is eerie," said Isabel, once they were inside. "But it's nothing at all like I thought it would be."

"You were expecting suspended animation pods?" asked Cal, wryly.

"Well, yeah, I guess, I mean what do we know about any of this stuff, anyhow?" Isabel responded.

"Apparently, not much," said Cal with a grin. "I suppose you didn't do much learning when you were at the Training Academy, what with saving the planet and all."

Michael was about to make an angry response when he noticed the grin playing on Cal's face. He took a deep breath and forced himself to relax.

"Yeah, that playing the hero really got in the way of our educations," he said, matching Cal's smile with one of his own.

Cal stopped and did a double take, amazed at receiving even the smallest sign of acceptance from Michael. He moved up to the front of the ship and started explaining the control panel to Max, Isabel and Kyle. Liz reached out and grabbed Michael by the arm, holding him back slightly.

"Are you okay?" she whispered. "I could tell that was really difficult for you."

"Lay off, will ya, Liz?" Michael said, jerking his arm away. Any display of emotion made him uncomfortable; a display of _his_ emotion made him downright irritable.

"Look, I didn't mean to upset you," she said. "But right now, I can feel everything you're feeling, and I don't think it's very healthy for you to keep it bottled up inside like that."

"Look, Liz, it's bad enough when Maria wants me to get all in touch with my emotions, I'm sure as hell not going to do it with you," Michael said, his voice tinged with anger.

"I'm sorry I interfered," said Liz, turning away. "I just thought maybe you might want to talk about, _ouch_" she cried, her face muffled by Michael Guerin's body on top of her. She started to push him away when she saw a blast of energy pass over Michael's body, followed by a deafening blast, and then an eerie silence.

"Max!" she screamed, pushing ineffectually at Michael's body.

"Get out! Get out! Get out! Get out _now_!" Cal shouted, using his powers to blast the door open.

"Come on, Liz, get up," Michael said. He pushed himself up off of her and grabbed her arm and yanked her up. He shoved her in the direction of the door, and she struggled through the smoke filled cabin of the ship towards the door.

"Max, where are you?" she coughed. She tripped over something and struggled not to scream when she realized it was Isabel's body. Forcing back the tears, she reached down and grabbed the older girl under the arms and began to drag her out of the craft.

A coughing and choking Kyle struggled across the burning debris of what used to be the console and lifted Isabel's legs, helping Liz carry their friend to safety. Once they were a safe distance from the ship, they gently placed Isabel's body on the ground. Liz watched the ship, a nervous expression on her face. She chewed on her lower lip anxiously, waiting hopefully to see her husband walk out.

"Liz, look!" Kyle said, pointing towards the ship. Liz jumped up and started to run across towards the Gadori ship when she realized that Cal and Michael were carrying Max between them.

"Go, get back, get to the pod chamber!" Cal yelled. "It's going to blow up."

She stood there, frozen ignoring Cal, her full attention focused on Max. Kyle raced up and grabbed her and pulled her back towards Isabel's body.

"Help me get her inside," he said to her. "Liz, help me," he said again, this time, shaking her.

Liz finally bent down and grabbed Isabel's legs, and helped Kyle bring her into the pod chamber. He ran back outside and helped Michael and Cal bring in Max's body. Once they had Max on the floor next to Isabel, he rushed outside again, without a word to anybody.

"Valenti, are you crazy?" Michael shouted. "Get your ass back in here!"

Kyle ran back in and the door to the chamber slid shut behind him just as a deafening explosion filled the air. The ground beneath their feet rocked, throwing Kyle and Michael to the their knees.

"Are you insane?" Michael shouted. "Why'd you go back out there, you asshole? Never mind, we don't have time for that, we need to take care of Max and Isabel."

"They're both alive," said Cal, kneeling between the siblings. I don't think either of them took a direct blast but they were shocked when the control panel got fried. What the hell happened in there, anyhow?"

"There was a Gadori in the back of the ship," said Kyle. I saw him step out and take aim at the three of you. I tried to fire and throw up a shield, but I wasn't quick enough." He shook his head mournfully. He felt like a totally failure, not protecting his friends.

"And I saw Kyle," continued Michael, picking up the story where Kyle had left off. "I didn't know what was going on, but I got Liz out of the line of fire."

"Thank you," Liz said, lifting her tear streaked face to look at Michael.

"Hey, I may be emotionally uptight as Maria puts it, but I'm not a total idiot," said Michael. "Don't worry, Liz. They're going to be okay. We've come too far to let something like this stop us." He reached out and gave her hand a quick squeeze.

"Wait, Max is starting to come around," said Cal.

Liz pulled her hand from Michael's and swung around and squeezed Max's hand.

"Max, can you hear me?" she said, softly. "Max?"

"Liz?" Max whispered. "What happened? I feel like," he paused. "I don't know _what_ I feel like, but it isn't good. Are Cal, Kyle and Isabel okay?"

"Cal's fine, and so is Kyle," Liz said in her quiet voice. "But Isabel is still unconscious. I'm not sure what's wrong. Cal thinks maybe you guys were shocked or something when the control panel got hit."

"I'm sorry Max," said Kyle, jumping into the conversation. "If I had reacted faster, none of this would have happened. I didn't get the shied up in time after I fired."

"We don't have time for guilt, Kyle," Max said, sitting up with a groan. "Let me take a look at Isabel."

He held his hand over his sister, and tried to heal her but nothing happened. He tried again, beads of perspiration forming on his forehead and upper lip as he tried to summon the energy necessary to heal Isabel.

"I can't," he said, falling back with a gasp. "I don't have the energy to heal an ant, let alone a human being. Michael, you try it," he said suddenly. Max knew that Michael and Isabel shared a special bond. Maybe the strength of that would help Michael access his latent healing powers and help Isabel.

Michael didn't waste any time. He knelt down next to Isabel and placed his hands on her midsection, and focused all his energy on her body, trying to heal her.

As Liz watched Michael try and heal Isabel. She saw them trying to heal Jim Valenti on Antar, then she flashed to them trying to activate the Granolith just a few days ago. Quickly, she placed her hand on top of Michael's, and signaled to Kyle with her eyes to join them.

Kyle grabbed Cal's hand and placed it on top of Liz's, then put his on top. Max reached out and added his hand to the group, and all of them focused.

Liz could feel the energy coursing through her. She felt more alive, more connected to her friends than she ever had before. She knew every thought they had ever had, and every feeling they had ever felt. Their power was hers, and hers was theirs. She knew the exact second Isabel regained consciousness, and as one, they all removed their hands.

"That was incredible," said Max. "I've never felt anything like that before in my life."

"Would someone care to explain what's going on?" asked Isabel. "And why I feel like I have enough energy to run a marathon?"

They made short work of explaining what happened to both Max and Isabel, leaving nothing out. Isabel turned on Kyle, her face a mask of fury.

"Why did you go back out there, you idiot? How could you put yourself in danger like that? Ava, not to mention all of us, would go crazy if something happened to you."

"I had to, Isabel. In about five minutes, there is going to be a circus out there," said Kyle. "Everyone is going to want to see the UFO that crashed to Earth. The one our parents think we were on. They're going to think we're dead."

"Oh, God," Liz moaned, softly. "What are we going to do? We have to let them know."

"I already did," said Kyle. "That's why I went outside and carved a message into the side of the rock."

"Oh great, Kyle, nothing like drawing attention to ourselves," said Michael.

"Relax, Michael, I have a little bit more sense than that," said Kyle. "I left my uniform number a hyphen and a 5 and an OK."

"Cryptic much?" asked Michael. "Who's going to know what that means?"

"My dad," said Kyle, smiling smugly. "We agreed on that code a long time ago. That way he'd know that I, and whoever was with me, was safe if there we ever found ourselves in a situation where we couldn't communicate."

"Oh, well, in that case," said a chastened Michael. "Let's focus on the problem at hand, no ship, no way to Antar."

"I know you're against this, Max, but there's still the Granolith," Liz said, fingering the transport belt she still wore. She opened her mouth to say more, but before she could speak, the belt activated, and she disappeared from sight.


	26. Chapter 26 Homecoming

**Disclaimer:** Roswell, and its characters do not belong to me. Melinda Metz, Jason Katims and 20th Century Fox have that particular pleasure. If I was lucky enough to own them, you just know the show would still be on the air, and you'd be watching that instead of reading this. 

**Rating: **PG-13 to R for inappropriate language and some violence.

**Chapter Twenty-Six** _Homecoming_

Liz landed with a bump in the small hidden tunnel room they had used for meetings when they first came to Antar. Secreted under the Training Academy, it provided them with access to the city proper, as well as a place to plan, strategize and just relax.

She looked around the small room, smiling slightly at the memories that filled her mind. They had come back to Antar several times to visit, but Liz had never returned to their small sanctuary before now. Several cans of chicken noodle soup were stacked in a small pyramid in the corner, remnants of the food supplies their parents had sent when they were fighting Kivar.

Idly, she picked up the sign that Ava and Alex had made that read Antarian Eraser Room. How they laughed when they had first seen the sign. It was one of the many times they had relied on humor to get them through a bleak situation. She sat down on one of the dilapidated chairs and waited for Max and the others to arrive.

A scraping noise in the tunnel alerted Liz to potential danger, and she dove behind one of the chairs, and held her breath, waiting

"Searching here is a waste of time," a voice echoed from the bowels of the tunnel. "They wouldn't come back here, even the Royal Family isn't _that_ stupid."

"Lord Kivar said to search, so we search," responded another voice. "What we think doesn't matter. In fact, if you want to stay alive, you'll forget about thinking, and concentrate on following orders."

"Fine," the first voice grumbled. "I'll go up and check it out, you wait here."

Liz drew herself into a small ball, and tried to control her quaking limbs. Fear coursed through her body, causing her teeth to chatter. She bit down on her lip, trying to still the chattering, and struggled to relax her mind enough to mind warp the soldier into not seeing her.

_Please, God,_ she prayed. _Do not let Max and the others show up now._

She peered around the side of the chair and watched as the guard came into view. He made a cursory search of the small room, never once noticing the huddled shape of Liz hiding by the chair. Liz waited anxiously, hardly daring to breath until she was certain he, and his companion were gone. After several minutes had passed, she allowed herself to relax. She stood up; her limbs so shaky they could barely support her, and drew a deep breath.

"I don't think I can go through this again," she whispered to the empty room. Even as the words passed her lips, she knew they were untrue. There wasn't anything she wouldn't do to help her friends.

A slight tremor alerted her to the fact that the others were arriving, and one by one, Max, Michael, Kyle, Isabel and Cal appeared. Cal looked more than a bit shaken up at this new method of travel.

"Remind me never to complain about space travel again," he said removing the belt as quickly as he could. "That was absolutely horrific."

"Liz, are you okay?" Max said, quickly moving to stand next to his wife.

"Yeah, but we probably shouldn't stay here too long," Liz responded. "You just missed a couple of Kivar's men searching for us."

"They didn't hurt you, did they?" Max asked.

"Right, Max, the big bad soldiers came in here, found a member of the Royal Family, and just left her here," said Kyle. "Stop thinking like a husband and think like a soldier why don't ya."

"Sorry," Max said, his voice sheepish. "That was rather lame of me. Kyle, what are you doing?" he asked when he noticed his friend was removing a section of shelving they had installed on the wall.

"You'll see," Kyle said. He pulled the shelving off the wall and revealed a hidden door. He opened the door and reached in and pulled out several rolled sheets of paper, a several backpacks, a large crate, and a small white box.

"What's all that?" Michael asked, pointing at the pile.

"These are maps of all the tunnels, and passageways under the city," said Kyle. "As well as complete architectural plans of the palace. This contains more transport belts, as well as several prototypes of weapons that Zan's people were working on. And these," he said, hefting the backpacks are Antarian clothing."

"Good thinking," Cal commented. "But why weapons? We've never used weapons."

"And that's exactly why Zan decided to have some of his science and technology people work on some prototypes," Max explained. "We certainly weren't looking to fight, but if we had to, we wanted more on our side than just the fire power our bodies could generate."

"I'm impressed," Cal said, grudgingly. "You certainly planned your mini arsenal well."

"Yeah, well, it was actually Michael's idea," said Kyle. "He got everything. I was just in charge of finding a place to hide it in case we ever needed it."

"I'd forgotten about that," said Michael.

"So did I," Kyle admitted. "Until I saw the shelves, then I remembered." He knelt down and busied himself removing clothing from the packs and passing them to Isabel. She, in turn laid them on the various pieces of furniture.

"Kyle, what's that in the box?" Liz asked, as she spread the maps out on the table.

"Box, oh, uh, what box," said Kyle.

"Kyle, don't tell me," said Isabel, trying to contain her laughter.

"Okay, fine, they're Ho Ho's, okay? I stashed a box in case of emergency. Do you have a problem with that?"

"Am I missing something here?" Cal asked Liz.

"Not really," Liz said, smiling. "It's just that Kyle's love of Ho Ho's is legendary. Him stashing a box here is just typical.

Cal stepped back and watched the interaction between the five as they unpacked and studied the various maps. They were an intriguing contradiction, a blend of child and warrior. Watching them plan, he was starting to believe that they might have a chance after all.


	27. Chapter 27 Arrival

**Disclaimer:** Roswell, and its characters do not belong to me. Melinda Metz, Jason Katims and 20th Century Fox have that particular pleasure. If I was lucky enough to own them, you just know the show would still be on the air, and you'd be watching that instead of reading this. 

**Rating: **PG-13 to R for inappropriate language and some violence.

**Chapter Twenty – Seven** – _Arrival_

"Is everyone ready?" Michael asked, rolling up the last of the maps. They had agreed to take everything of value out of the small room because it was no longer a sanctuary for them.

"As ready as I'll ever be," said Isabel. "But I'm telling you know, if that psycho has made another Vilondra clone, I'm going to get really mad.

"If he's done that, I wouldn't worry too much," said Max, slinging a pack over his shoulder. "Alex will kill him for you."

"Can we just get out of here," said Kyle, bouncing nervously on the balls of his feet. "The sooner we get to the palace, the better I'll feel."

"Yeah, let's move out," said Max. "Isabel, are you almost done with the clothing for Cal?"

Isabel nodded, and passed her hand over the pile of clothing in her lap. "Here, that should fit well enough," she said, passing the clothing to Cal. "Why don't you just go into the tunnel and change? We'll wait here."

"Bossy thing, isn't she," he said to Max, who smiled at Cal's observation.

"Wait until you meet your daughter-in-law," he replied, his grin growing larger. "She gives bossy a completely new definition."

"You know, with that smile, you could give Tom Cruise some serious competition," said Cal. "But I suppose my movie making days are over," he added with a sigh. "Antarians are not big on the art, at least not from their soldiers," he added, cryptically.

While Cal changed, the others changed their appearances, so that when Cal returned, he faced a room full of strangers.

"Nice trick," he said. "I could have used all of you in some of my movies. I would have saved a fortune on make-up." While the others laughed appreciatively, Cal thumped himself gently on the head and groaned.

"Listen to me," he said. "I'm using humor in inappropriate situations to ease tension. I'm turning into one of you."

"Welcome to our world, Langley," Michael said. "Now let's get out there. Cal, you're going to go with Kyle and Isabel out through the tunnels. Max, Liz and I are going to go up through the Training Academy and see what we can find out. We'll meet you in two hours in the tunnel that leads up into the palace."

"I don't have to tell any of you to be careful," Max added. "Do your best to blend in, and don't draw any suspicion to yourselves, and Kyle,"

"Yeah, yeah, I know, take care of Isabel, and if anything happens to her, you'll kill me," said Kyle with a grin.

"Well, yeah, that too, I guess," said Max, holding up a hand in an attempt to stop the diatribe he knew Isabel was ready to vent. "But what I was going to say is that you an Isabel should watch out for Cal. It's been a while since he's been here, and we don't know how it will effect him."

"Nice save," Michael whispered to Max. "Think she bought it?"

"We can only hope," Max whispered back with a smile. He couldn't help but be concerned for his sister; he could feel her anger and fear when she made that comment about Kivar creating another Vilondra clone. 

The group made their goodbyes, and Kyle and Isabel led Cal through the tunnel and out into the city. As soon as they were out of sight, Michael opened the door to their hideaway and stepped out into the deserted hallway. He looked around and motioned for Max and Liz to join him, and the three began the journey upward into the school proper.

Michael slowly eased the door that led into the main hallway part way open, and closed it just as quickly.

"What is it?" asked Liz, nervously. "What did you see, Michael?"

"Classes are in session," he said. "It's like nothing's happened."

"What?" Max asked. "Are you sure?"

"Max, I am entirely too familiar with the glazed look a student has when he's going to class versus the look in his eyes when he's fighting for his life," said Michael. "Having experienced both myself in recent years."

"This is so not the time for levity, Michael," Max said. "We need to find out what's going on, because if what you're saying is true, it isn't right."

"What he's saying is true, Max," Liz said as she looked out into the hallway.

Max pushed past Liz and looked out into the hallway. He turned back to Michael and Liz, a puzzled expression on his face.

"What are you two talking about?" he asked in confusion. "The hallway is deserted, and there are blast burns all over the walls."

"That's not funny, Max," Liz said. "Didn't you just say this wasn't the time to be funny?"

"I'm not kidding, Liz, look," said Max. He stepped away from the door and Liz peered out into the hallway. When she turned back to Max and Michael, her face was white.

"Max, I swear to you, there were people out there just a minute ago; students walking to classes, and instructors waiting outside classroom doors. I don't understand it."

"I believe you Liz," Max said.

"Great, you believe us," said Michael. "The question is, now what?"

"I don't know," Max admitted. "Liz, what are you doing?" He looked at Liz, who was on her knees, crawling on the ground.

"I'm looking for a rock," she said.

"Oh, okay," said Max, his mind still on the problem at hand.

"Got one," Liz said, jumping up. "Michael, I want you to stand behind the door, and open it just enough for me to get my hand through."

She knelt down on the floor by the door and nodded to Michael. When the door opened, she peered out and was gratified to see the hall filled with students again. She tossed the small rock out into the crowded hallway. She watched for a moment, and pulled her head back inside.

"Come on, we need to get out of here, fast," she said. She began to run down the steps, Max and Michael following fast on her heels. She bypassed the hidden room, and continued down the passageway until she came to its end. She passed her hand over a panel concealed in the wall, and a door slid open. She started to walk through the doorway when Michael reached out and held her back.

"Generals before Queens," he said, stepping in through the doorway. "Okay it's clean," he said, stepping back to allow Max and Liz to enter.

"Where is this place?" Max asked when they were inside.

"I don't know," Liz admitted. "I found it one time when I was exploring the tunnels."

"Well, whatever it is," said Michael. "I'm glad you knew about it, now does somebody want to explain to me what the hell is going on?"

"Do you remember when Che'koth first appeared in the Granolith to us?" Liz asked. "He wasn't real, he was just an image, like a hologram."

"That's right," said Max. "I'd forgotten about that."

"Well, that's what's going on out there," said Liz. "It's a holographic image of some type set up to run in a loop. Michael and I saw it, but it had ended and hadn't started replaying when you looked out. That means,"

"That means Kivar knows we're coming, and we're screwed," said Michael.


	28. Chapter 28 Clandestine Encounter

**Chapter Twenty-Eight** – _Clandestine Encounter_

"He knows we're coming," agreed Max. "But he doesn't know we're here. We have to make sure there aren't any signs at all of our arrival in the tunnel room, and then get the hell out of here."

"Not through the school," said Michael.

"Not through the school," agreed Max.

"We need to find the others," said Liz. "And let them know what we've found."

With a course of action established, Michael led them back to the tunnel room where they carefully ensured that there was no trace of their arrival. When all traces of their arrival were eradicated, Max pulled Liz aside.

"It's not too late," he said to her. "You can go back."

"I'm not leaving, Max. You can't make me, so you might as well forget about it," she said, her voice resolute. "I'm not going home and leaving anyone behind. You're the one who keeps reminding us that we're stronger together than we are when we're apart, and yet you're trying to send me back. It doesn't make sense Max."

"Look, Liz, I'm not trying to start an argument with you," Max explained. "I know how much you hate all of this, the fighting and the violence. I just wanted to give you a way out, if you wanted it."

"Well I don't, now lets get out of here and find out what's going on," she said. Liz pushed past him and Michael who had waited a discreet distance away and stalked off down the tunnel.

"Guess you're sleeping on the couch tonight, Maxwell," Michael said, a small grin playing on his face. He'd grown to respect, and even love Liz over the years. She'd proven to him on more than one occasion that Max's healing her was the best thing that could have happened to any of them.

"Don't start, Michael," Max said. "Or I'll tell Maria, well, I don't know what I'll tell Maria, but you can bet it will be good."

"Oh, I'm quivering in my Antarian boots," said Michael.

"Will the two of you shut up for a second," said Liz, who stood waiting for them to catch up. "Where is that emergency tunnel your father had built, Max? I can't remember its location, but I think we should find it and use it, just in case Kivar has people watching the other exit."

"You're just thinking of this now?" Michael demanded. "You couldn't remember it _before_ Isabel and Kyle used the regular exit?"

"Well excuse me, _general_," Liz said, her voice filled with acid. "I didn't realize that I was the only one responsible for the planning of strategic details. You know, I'm starting to think Cal is the one who is right. We've got a crisis of epic proportions on our hands, and you two are goofing around. We don't have time for this."

"Liz, relax, everything's going to be fine," Max said. "We'll get through this like we do everything else."

"I know," Liz said. "I'm acting like a complete idiot, and I don't know why. Michael, I'm sorry." She reached out and placed her hand gently on his arm. "You've done everything right since all of this started happening. That's no excuse for my outburst, but I hope you'll say you forgive me."

"Yeah, well, don't worry about it," said Michael, clearly uncomfortable with Liz's outpouring of emotion. "Let's just get the hell out of here and figure out what's going on."

Michael quickly located the second access tunnel and led out into a small back street behind the market place. The sounds that drifted back to them indicated that the market area was teeming with people.

"What day is it?" Michael asked. "Here, I mean?"

Max reached into his pocket and pulled out the Antarian equivalent of a watch and glanced at it.

"It's Lanoch," Max responded. "Around midday, why?"

That's what I thought," said Michael. "It's not a market day, but it sounds as busy as hell out there. Something's not right."

"You think it's another hologram?" Max asked.

"I don't know what to think," Michael admitted. "What about you, Liz? Do you have any ideas?"

"As a matter of fact I do," she said. Both men waited expectantly to hear what she thought when to their amazement, she dashed off down the street towards the market place.

Max held out a restraining hand and stopped Michael from Liz.

"Let me go, we have to go after her," he said, struggling to pull away from Max.

"I know this is going to sound weird, but we have to wait here. Liz will kill us if we go after her. She obviously has some plan in mind, and the best thing we can do is let her do it."

"Who the hell are you, and what did you do with Max?" Michael asked, a bemused expression on his face.

"Don't worry, Michael, she's okay. I know it," Max said, calmly.

"Well I'm going on record saying I don't like it," said Michael.

"Don't like what?" a voice behind him asked.

"Liz going off on her; Jesus, don't do that Liz. You scared me half to death."

"Sorry, but I knew it would be okay," she said.

"Yeah, and you knew this how?" asked Michael. "Psychic visions?"

"Something like that, yeah," said Liz. "Listen, I can't explain it, but I just knew it would be okay for me to go out there, and it was. Those are real people out there, not holograms, so we can go out that way and try and catch up with the others."

"Fine, let's go then," said Michael, clearly displeased by Liz's behavior, and Max's reaction to it. Something was going on, but he didn't have time to puzzle it out. "Let's head out then, and if we get separated, meet at that restaurant where we used to meet Che'Koth."

Max and Liz agreed, and the three set out towards the market place. As Liz had said, the area teemed with people, and it was easy for the three to lose themselves within the bustling crowds. The sights and sounds of the bustling market assailed their senses, bringing back a flood of memories, some happy, some not.

Max turned his gaze towards the palace, and felt a sense of relief wash over him when he saw that the royal flag of Antar still waved proudly over the city. Out of nowhere, a hand grabbed him, and pulled him out of the crowd and into a dimly lit building.

"Welcome back, Zan, or should I say Max? I've been expecting you."


	29. Chapter 29 Escape

**Chapter Twenty-Nine** – _Escape_

"What are you talking about?" said Max. "My name is Dracor Jabanion.

"I know who you are," the stranger said. "Reveal your true self."

"I told you, my name is Dracor Jabanion, and I'm late. I suggest you release me now." As he spoke, Max looked over at Michael and Liz who watched the proceedings from a discreet distance. He tried to signal Liz with his eyes to just keep out of it. He was worried that Liz would try and interfere, but he knew Michael would do his best to stop her.

"You are going to come with me to the Palace, Lord Kivar will be quite interested to know that you are here," said the stranger. "He instructed us to watch for you. He knew you'd be arriving. He was counting on your foolish sense of nobility. I'm pleased to know my Lord was right. I am sure I will receive a hefty."

The stranger stopped speaking mid sentence and slumped against Max who caught him and held him upright.

"Thanks," he said to Michael over the stranger's body. Michael had managed to stun the stranger from behind while he talked to Max.

"No problem," said Michael. "What do we do with him?"

"We're bringing him with us," said Liz. "Michael, get under his other arm. You and Max can carry him. If anyone stops us, we can just say he was celebrated Kivar's return to power a little more than he should have."

"Where are we going to go?" asked a clearly concerned Max. "If Kivar has taken the palace, we can't go there."

"We have to," said Liz. "We have to try and catch up with Kyle and Isabel and stop them."

"Liz is right," said Michael. "Besides, I have an idea. Do you remember last time we came here? The Granolith brought us to a hidden room. Your father and the other resistance fighters had hidden most of the royal treasures in there."

"That's right," said Max, smiling for the first time since their arrival on Antar. "And he told me one time that he was never going to reveal its location to anyone."

"So if we can just get inside," continued Liz, also grinning. We've at least got a home base to work from."

"God, I love it when our lack of plans comes together," said Michael. "Much as it pains me to say this, maybe Cal was right, and we need to focus a bit more."

"Hey, you!" shouted a guardsman walking towards the small group.

"Shit," whispered Max. "Now what."

"What is wrong with this man?" demanded the guard. "And who are you?"

"Please sir," said Liz. "He's my father. We need to get him home before Mother realizes that he's been out celebrating. Oh, she's going to be home soon. We have to hurry." Liz burst into tears. "Mother said if it happened again, she would throw him out."

The guard roared with laughter and slapped Max on the back. "Be on with you then. We wouldn't want to bring the wrath of your mother down on this poor man. What was he celebrating anyhow?" the guard added in an almost casual manner.

"Is there anything else to celebrate?" asked Michael. "He was celebrating the fact that Antar is sure to flourish under the new regime." He held his breath as he waited to see if the guard believed him.

"And right he is," said the guard. "Lord Kivar will see that we prosper. Go on, get your father home before your mother notices."

"Thank you," sniffed Liz, wiping an invisible tear from her cheek. "We'd better hurry. Mother should be home soon." She gave Max and Michael a pointed look and started walking toward the crowded market place.

Max and Michael began to follow her, dragging their prone companion between them. As they rounded the corner to the market place, Max chanced a look back and found the guard still watching them, a suspicious look on his face.

"He's still watching," he said in an undertone to Michael and Liz. "I'm open to suggestions."

"Much as I hate to say this, we may have to dump our buddy here, and run for it," said Michael. "Look, over there," he said, looking in the direction of a store that had several empty crates next to it. "We can put him there and run."

"Liz, are you okay with this?" Max asked. "I know you wanted to use him for information."

"I'd rather stay alive," said Liz. "You guys bring him over towards the store, and I'll create a diversion."

Liz darted off into the crowd, and Max watched as she made her way over to a large tent that provided shelter for many of the freestanding carts. The air filled with screams and Max and Michael watched as the tent slowly began to collapse at one end. People began pushing past them, rushing towards the tent, and they took the opportunity to deposit their cargo amidst the boxes.

Max spied Liz running back to them and he reached out and grabbed her hand and held it tightly.

"There's a contingent of guards coming this way," she panted. "We'd better run.

Max took off running, pulling Liz along behind him. He ran blindly for several minutes, unsure of where he was going. His heart pounded rapidly, both from the exertion of running as well as from fear. He felt Liz's pace slow, and he tightened his grip on her hand and tried to will some of his strength to her.

After what seemed like hours, the palace came into view, and Max slowed down abruptly. Liz, unprepared for his stop went careening past him and stumbled, falling to the ground.

"Come on, come on!" Michael yelled running past them. "They're still after us."

Liz pulled herself back up and grabbed Max's hand and took off running again, pulling him along with her.

"Max, come on!" she yelled. "Snap out of it. We don't have time for this!" She tugged harder on his arm and Max snapped out of his stupor and began to run. He and Liz trailed after Michael as he ran into a wooded area near the palace. They splashed through a small stream and up a wooded hill.

Abruptly, Michael veered off the path, dodging around a vast granite outcropping. Max and Liz followed along blindly, stopping when they realized Michael was no longer in site.

"Took you long enough," a voice said, and Zan stepped out from behind the rock and hugged his brother.


	30. Chapter 30 Sanctuary

**Chapter Thirty** – _Sanctuary_

"Zan, you're all right," Max gasped, in relief. "Where's Michael? He got ahead of us and I lost track of him."

"Michael's fine," said Zan. "Alex is taking him to Maria right now."

"Taking him to Maria!" Liz interjected. "Why, what's wrong? Where is Maria? Is she all right?" she demanded.

Zan laughed, not unkindly at the fear and fury in Liz's voice. She was a good friend to them all. It had taken him a while to realize that, but he had come to learn that when Max saved Liz, he had in actuality saved them all by bringing Liz into their lives.

"Relax, Liz, she's fine," Zan said. "She's organizing the weapons for the troops."

"Maria?" asked Liz.

"Organizing troops?" added Max.

"Yeah," said Zan, laughing at the incredulous expressions on the faces of his brother and his wife. "Remember how we joked that given the chance, Maria would make an excellent general? Well, we weren't far from wrong, let me tell you. She's fantastic. She and Ava arrived in the middle of everything. We got them out of the palace safely, and Maria just sort of stepped in and took over the role like it was made for her.

"Back up a minute," said Max. "What the hell is going on anyhow? Is it Kivar again?"

"Come on," said Zan, looking around, nervously. "We can't stay out in the open, it isn't safe. I'll explain everything as we go."

"We can't go anywhere," said Liz. "Kyle and Isabel are,"

"All ready safe," said Zan. "Ava intercepted them on their way to the Palace. We've been watching for you ever since we sent Isabel back when she got injured in our attempt to take back the Palace and the Granolith. We failed with the Palace, but succeeded with the Granolith. Now come on, we have to get back."

"Back to where?" asked Liz.

"Sanctuary," said Zan, cryptically.

Max took one last look at the Palace before following his brother through the maze of trees that shrouded them from enemy eyes. Trees that stood as a testament to his ancestors, planted by the first royal family of Antar thousands of years ago. He felt insignificant standing next to these towering tributes to his ancestor's endurance and fortitude.

Zan started walking down a path, followed by Liz, while Max fell in behind. By unspoken accord, they kept Liz between them, providing her with as much protection as they could provide. Max looked to the horizon and spied the double moons of Antar beginning to rise. Night was drawing near, and he was uneasy about being out in the open. Without warning, Zan swerved from the path they were on and began to make his way carefully down a steep incline. Jagged rocks and large boulders at the bottom of the canyon encouraged Max to move up next to Liz and help her in any way possible.

At the bottom, Zan led them past huge stone monoliths that stood leaning precariously against one another like the discarded playthings of some long forgotten race of giants. Zan held up a hand to stop their approach, and he looked around one last time to ensure that they not been followed. When he was sure that it was safe, he moved to the walls of the canyon and passed his hand over a hidden panel. An opening appeared in the canyon wall, and he stepped inside.

"Where are we?" Liz asked as the door closed behind her. She turned to look at it, but there was nothing there to differentiate it from the rest of the wall.

"I told you," Zan said with a small grin. "Sanctuary."

"And Sanctuary is?" asked Max.

"In the words of our wise and all knowing Father, search your memories, the answer is there," said Zan, his grin growing larger.

"Why don't you just save as all time and fill us in," said Max. He was still reluctant to access the memories of the Zan he used to be.

"When our people first fled Earth and came to Antar this is where they lived. They created a society that was completely underground," explained Zan.

"Why?" asked Liz. "With that beautiful world above them, why did they choose to live underground?

"Because that beautiful planet was inhabited by two warring nations," said Drinian, joining the conversation.

"Father," Max breathed in relief. "You're all right."

"Yes, Son, I'm fine," said Drinian, pulling Max to him in an enveloping hug. "As is your mother. Come with me, we have food, and a place for you to rest."

"The hell with that!" Max said, vehemently. "Where are my friends, and what the hell is going on?"

Drinian smiled at his son's outburst pleased to see that above all else, he put the safety for those he cared about first.

"Relax Max, you should know by now that if anything was wrong, we would have told you right away. Everyone is waiting for you and Liz. We're preparing to have a summit meeting."

Max smiled sheepishly at his family and allowed Zan and his father to lead him and Liz over to where the others were waiting. There was much hugging and crying between the women, and Liz couldn't resist poking fun at General Maria. A quick survey of the people in the room indicated that Cal was nowhere to be seen. Max quickly made his way over to Kyle and Isabel.

"Where is he?" he asked softly. "Does Dijanya know he's back?" He looked over to where Michael and Ava sat talking with their mother. Even from where he stood, he could see that Michael's face was wearing the closed look it used to wear before Maria entered his life. He was closing off a part of him from his mother and sister; the part that knew his father was alive and on Antar.

"We don't know what happened to him, Max," Kyle said. "We made our way to the Palace without a problem. We were just about to take one of the tunnels in when Ava found us. Cal took one look at her and totally fell apart."

"Max, she looks so much like Dijanya did at that age," Isabel continued. "It had to be a shock for him. He just disappeared into the woods. There wasn't anything we could do to stop him."

"Of course there wasn't," said Max, reaching out to squeeze her hand. "But I swear to you, when this is done, and we kill Kivar again, I'm throwing Cal's ass in the dungeon or something."

"Kivar?" asked Isabel. "Didn't Zan tell you yet?"

"Tell me what?" demanded Max. "Nobody has told me anything."

"It's not Kivar, man," Kyle said, quietly. "It's the Gadori, masquerading as Kivar, and as you guys. They've managed to convince the entire planet that the Royal Family has agreed to step down from the throne and turn control over to Kivar."


	31. Chapter 31 History Lesson

**Author's Note: **I didn't realize that I never finished posting this here. Sorry

**Chapter Thirty - One **– _History Lesson _

"Come and eat," said Drinian. "Before we discuss anything, you need to eat."

"Uh, yeah," said a distracted Max. His mind was busy going over what Kyle had told him, as well as the news that Cal had taken off for parts unknown.

They sat down to a meal that was a combination of the sweet and spicy foods that were indigenous to Antar as well as several Earth foods that Zan had cultivated as a courtesy to Liz and the others. The talk at the table was nothing more than idle chitchat. Something that had Max chomping at the bit, but he had long ago learned that his father preferred to keep 'business' conversation away from the dinner table. Apparently that rule stood firm in times of war too.

"Father, I mean you no disrespect," said Zan, correctly interpreting the look of frustration on his brother's face. "I know you like to keep meal times a family time, but we," he motioned to the others around the table, "seem to work better if we eat at the same time."

Drinian struggled to contain his laughter. Zan so seldom did anything that was in direct opposition to his wishes. He was pleased to see his son displayed the fortitude to take matters into his own hands, especially at such an important time.

"Thank you, Father," said Max, sighing with relief. He wanted to begin planning, and the sooner the better. He opened his mouth to speak, only to realize he still didn't really know what they were fighting.

Again, Drinian struggled to contain his mirth, even at such a trying time. Max was as impetuous as ever; ready to charge headlong into anything that would help those he cared about. It was almost humorous to watch him realize that he didn't yet know who this new enemy was.

"When our people first fled Earth, it was because of the eminent destruction of our lands, and in fact they thought the entire Earth would have been destroyed as well. Our technology was very advanced, but we couldn't control nature, and there were several volcanic eruptions that worried us greatly," explained Drinian. "It was deemed safer to flee. Five hundred people fled Earth. A handful of scientists chose to remain behind and observe what was going to happen. They swore to contact us if they survived."

"Well, I'm guessing they didn't," said Kyle, "Or else you would have returned to Earth, right."

"They did not contact us by conventional methods," agreed Drinian. "But the possibility exists that they did survive, but the technology was destroyed."

"What do you mean?" asked Maria. "Couldn't they just build another communicator or something?"

"Not if the technology and the resources were destroyed," said Alex. "If everybody in the world disappeared tomorrow, could you build yourself a car?"

"I get your point," said Maria. "So you're guessing that they all died then."

"Not necessarily," said Liz, warming to the subject. "There are many things on Earth made by ancient civilizations that just shouldn't exist, like the pyramids, and Stonehenge."

"That is correct," said Kitana, looking fondly at her daughter-in-law. "We have long held out hope that they did survive and made their way to other lands."

"Look the history lesson is nice," said Michael. "And a hell of a lot more interesting than what we ever learned in high school, but can we get to the part where we kill the enemy and take back the throne."

"You are as hot headed as your father was," said Dijanya, fondly.

Michael glared at his mother, and Max could see Michael that he didn't take kindly to the comparison. He decided it was a good time to intervene.

"Perhaps some time, you could tell us more about Prija Cladar," Max said, using the Antarian term for Uncle. "But right now, I think we need to focus on what's going on up there. What else can you tell us, Father?"

Drinian pushed back away from the table and looked at the others, worried at how they would process this next bit of information.

"When we arrived on Antar, there was a terrible war going on. The indigenous people of the planet were warring with the people from the neighboring planet of Gador," explained Drinian. "We carved out this world beneath the planet's surface and prepared to wait out the war."

"You're telling me that you ancestors landed here," interrupted Kyle and carved out this subterranean world and settled in, just like that? I'm having a hard time with that whole concept, and I'm not even one of the scientific ones."

Everyone laughed, except for Drinian whose face should a combination of frustration and amusement.

"If you would just access the memories of those that came before you," he said for what he felt was the thousandth time, "You would know all this."

Max looked at Isabel, and the others, his expression bleak. None of them, Zan included had searched many of the memories of their former selves or the generations of Antarians that had come before them. Not only was it incredibly painful emotionally to access those memories, it also felt like an incredible invasion of privacy. The collective conscious was one aspect of Antarian living that none of them had truly embraced.

"Fine," said a clearly exasperated Drinian. "Our people had prophesized the end of our world for a very long time. We had scouts out searching for a new home for generations. When they decided Antar was the best option, they began to create this underground world almost immediately. When the time came for us to evacuate Earth, most of this was already completed. After our arrival, we went immediately underground and waited."

"Waited for what?" asked Liz, who had been listening attentively.

"They waited to see who was going to win and offered to become their allies," said Michael. "Strategically, it was a sound idea, but morally, kind of a sucky thing to do."

"How'd you know that, Space Boy," Maria asked.

"He tapped into the collective consciousness," said Drinian. "And you are right Michael, it was a _sucky_ thing for them to do."

Everyone laughed at the sound of the Earth term coming from Drinian. It was slightly incongruous for a man of such regal bearing to be using Earth slang. Drinian smiled, knowing the track their thoughts had taken, and not minding at all their finding amusement at his expense.

"What I can't understand," continued Michael "Is how they can be so cold as to wait and see who was going to win before offering to become their allies. How could our people be so cold blooded? Did it matter to them at all that the Gadori wanted to, and did commit genocide?"

"No, it didn't," said Dijanya, looking at her son fondly. "I don't condone what was done here, Michael. None of us do, but they did what they had to in order to ensure their survival."

"Well, obviously, they made a poor choice, since the Gadori first sold Antar out to Kivar, and now are trying to take over for themselves," Ava said heatedly. "I don't care why they did it, selling out the people who used to live here was wrong."

"And that is why we study history," said Kitana. "Wise people learn from the mistakes of those who went before them. Why else do you think Drinian is always urging you to tap into the collective consciousness. Learn from the mistakes of our ancestors, or you will be doomed to repeat them."


	32. Chapter 32 Shandar

**Chapter Thirty – Two **– _Shandar _

"So do you think the Gadori have been planning this for a long time?" Alex asked.

"I do not know," said Drinian. "When our people first arrived, the Gadori were bent on eradicating any species that did not meet their expectations. The native Antarians were such a race."

"So our people just let an entire race be destroyed," said Zan, bitterly. "Nice of us."

"No, we weren't that bad," said Dijanya. "We saved as many people as we could, bringing them down to this underground city. We were not innocent, but we weren't evil either. When Drinian tells you we sided with the Gadori, he didn't mean we waged all out war against the Antarians. We refused to do."

"Okay, is anybody besides me confused by all this?" asked Maria. "You sided with the Gadori, but you didn't. You helped the Antarians, but you didn't. I don't get it."

"If our ancestors had done the right thing," said Kitana, smiling at Maria's confusion. "We would have taken the time to find out what was happening, and who was at fault, and why, then offered our assistance. We didn't do that; instead we bided our time, and allied ourselves with the winning side. We probably could have sided with the Antarians and helped them to fight back, but we didn't. We rescued as many as we could, and saved them, and their race from being destroyed, but beyond that, we did nothing."

"Nor did we fight on the side of the Gadori," said Drinian. "It is important to know that we did not fight with them."

"But you didn't stop them either," said Max.

"Stop it!" said Liz, clearly distressed by the subject. She could see both Max and Zan, as well as Drinian were becoming more and more agitated the longer they discussed the subject. "Drinian, you're acting as if _you're_ personally responsible for things that occurred a millennia ago. And Max, you and Zan sound like you're _blaming_ Drinian for things he had no control over. All of you need to stop it, and take a step back from this and look at it a little less judgmentally."

Max and Zan looked sheepishly at each other and at their father. Liz was right and they both knew it. Both of them resolved to be more open minded while their father recounted the rest of his tale.

"I thought you told us the Gadori were enslaved by the people of Antar?" Isabel asked.

"They were," said Drinian, "and they rebelled against the people of this planet. They vowed to completely destroy those who had enslaved them."

"Then why did they turn against us?" asked Alex. "I mean, if we aided their cause, wouldn't they want to keep us as allies?"

"Apparently not, Alex," said Drinian. "From what our intelligence has learned, they have been working, since that time to rid the planets in this star system of intelligent life. The only lives they deem worthy are their own."

The group sat quietly, still eating while they tried to process this last piece of information, and the ramifications it carried. This was not going to be a situation where a peaceful co-existence could be achieved. If they were to survive, it would mean that they themselves would have to destroy another race of people.

"Talk about holding a grudge," said Maria, breaking the silence. "I mean give it up already. Don't they understand that all that hate is bad for their karma?"

"Maria," said Alex, struggling to hold back his laughter. "I sincerely doubt that they give a rat's ass about their karma."

"See, that's what I mean," said Maria. "Wait, you're laughing at me, aren't you?"

"Well, I'm trying hard not to," admitted Alex. "But it's pretty hard," he added just before he convulsed with laughter.

The infectious sound quickly spread around the table, and soon everyone, including Maria, was laughing merrily. They made short work of their meal, laughing occasionally, but mostly discussing the Gadori and the possibility of defeating them when the sound of shouting interrupted them.

"Get off of my you great ignorant oaf!" a woman yelled. "I am _not_ a spy. Now let go of me before I kill you! I need to see the king!"

"Um, Zan, I think you have company," said Ava, laughing softly. "What happened, did you say you were going to call and never did."

The group of friends laughed softly as one of the soldiers assigned to guard their area approached.

"Majesty?" he queried.

"Yes?" answered Zan, Max and Drinian simultaneously.

The guard started to speak, and hesitated, unsure of to whom he should direct his comments. Zan shot a laughing glance at both his father and his brother before he stepped forward.

"What is the problem, Perdren?" he asked.

"We caught an intruder down in the canyon. She claimed she was searching for you, but I don't believe it. She is a Gadori spy, Sir," answered Perdren.

"Bring her here," said Zan.

"But your Majesty," began Perdren.

"Perdren, do you honesty believe that the twelve of us," Zan motioned to his friends and family, "Could not subdue one person, if the need arose?"

"With this one, I have my doubts," Perdren muttered. "Very well, your Majesty," he added in a louder voice. "Tremdan, escort the prisoner over here please!"

Zan looked at Max, and struggled to contain his mirth when Tremdan appeared with the female prisoner in tow. His face was scratched and bloody, and a large bruise was forming on the side of his cheek. Whoever this woman was, she had put up an incredible fight before Zan's guards were able to subdue her.

Zan's gaze switched to the woman, and he felt his heart skip a beat. She was perhaps the most beautiful person he had ever seen in his life. Her hair was a dark brown, darker than Liz's, and was shot through with vibrant red highlights. Her eyes were a smoky gray color, the color darkening along the outer rim to an almost black color. But it was the way she carried herself that made her stand out. She stood before Zan as is she, and not he were the true ruler of Antar.

"Yes?" queried Zan. "You had something of importance to share?"

"I'll tell you nothing until your trained buffoon releases me, the woman retorted, angrily.

"And why should I release you?" asked Zan, conversationally. He glanced over to Kyle, and nodded imperceptibly, and Kyle rose and joined them, with Liz trailing behind him.

"Fine, don't release me," the woman shot back. "And I won't tell you what I know."

Perdren, Tremdan, let her go," said Zan. "Go and get yourself some food and relax. We'll be fine."

The two guards reluctantly released the woman's arms, and eyed her warily before they stepped away.

"If you need us, King Zan, we wont' be far away," said Perdren."

"I think we're good," said Max, when Zan failed to answer, he was too caught up staring at the newcomer. "So, do you have a name?" he asked the woman standing before them.

"I am Shandar," the woman said. "And I have information for you."

"Why don't you start by telling them who you are," said Drinian, angrily, his arms folded across his chest.

"I just did," said the woman. "My name is Shandar."

"That's right," said Drinian. "Shandar Blashyn, sister of Kivar Blashyn."

"That's right, I am," said Shandar. "Greetings to you, Prija."


	33. Chapter 33 Kissin Cousins

**Chapter Thirty – Three **– _Kissin Cousins _

"Greetings Uncle," the woman repeated. "I wasn't sure if you would recognize me."

"I recognize you, Shandar," said Drinian, his voice uncharacteristically cold.

"Uncle?" Isabel whispered, her voice weak. "I thought Kivar was a very distant member of the royal family. She had a look of extreme discomfort on her face, and Alex quickly realized that she was concerned that her clone my have had an incestuous relationship.

"Relax my daughter," said Kitana. "The royal lineage is very well documented. Kivar's family was," she paused for a moment.

"A small insignificant branch on the family tree?" Maria offered.

"Exactly," said Kitana. "The use of the term Prija was simply one of respect for a family member, no matter how distant."

"Relax, Isabel," Alex said, taking Isabel's hand in his. He squeezed it slightly, and Isabel relaxed slightly.

"I know, it's just," she whispered.

"It's just nothing," Alex said, smiling reassuringly. "Kivar's gone, and he isn't coming back."

"Why is she here?" Ava asked. "I don't think I like her very much. She looks like a real bitch."

Maria looked at Ava who was watching the way Zan's eyes hungrily consumed the newcomer and shot Isabel a knowing smile. Ava was jealous of the newcomer and the way she was claiming Zan's attention.

Zan had been equally resentful of the place Kyle had in Ava's life when he first joined the group. However, Kyle was a known entity, as was Zan to some extent. The newcomer, Shandar was worse than unknown, she was the sister of their former enemy.

"Well, it doesn't look like they're coming over here," said Alex. "So I'm thinking we all go over there."

They quietly joined the others, and Ava pushed her way through her friends to stand beside Kyle and Zan. She surreptitiously pinched Zan's arm and whispered something. Almost immediately, Zan's countenance changed and he began to eye the woman in front of him warily.

"What information do you have for us?" he demanded.

"The information I have is important, have no doubt, but what is in it for me?" questioned Shandar. "Surely I should get something out of our exchange."

"We will pay you for your information, if we deem it worthwhile," said Zan.

"I don't want your money," said Shandar. She through her head back in defiance, and glared at Zan, her eyes filled with anger. "You're treating me as if I were my brother. I am not Kivar, I had no loyalty to him."

"So you say, but how do I know that?" asked Zan. "We have no way of knowing if anything you say is true."

"Zan," Kitana interjected. "Nothing has to be decided this very second. You and the others should talk before you make any hasty decisions, and in the mean time, perhaps Shandar would like something to eat?" She looked over at Shandar who seemed confused by the kindness she was being offered by the former queen.

"I am hungry," she admitted. _And very tired,_ she thought to herself. Keeping a wall up to block her true intentions from them had been difficult. She remembered her father telling her that Drinian was skilled at reading emotions, and the rumors said that one of the newcomers was as well. Her gaze passed over them as she assessed each one, and stopped when she reached Kyle. It was he, the one who had mated with Ava. He had the empathic abilities that could cause her so many problems. It wasn't as if she hiding _a lot_ of information from them. There were just things she'd rather not share with all of them right away.

"Come on, I'll get you something to eat," Liz said suddenly, shocking everyone. She stepped away from the group and walked over to the other girl. "I'm Liz, by the way."

"Greetings, your Majesty," said Shandar, inclining her head slightly.

"No, I'm Liz," Liz repeated. "Come on, you must be starving by now." She smiled reassuringly at the older girl before turning back to look at Max and the others. She was unsurprised so see the varying degrees of shock on the faces of Isabel, Alex and Maria, but the look of intense disgust on Ava's face upset her greatly. She knew Kyle would explain everything to Ava, but that didn't make her feel any better about the situation.

Kyle had known right away that Shandar was hiding something from them. She must have realized that they could read her emotions and had blocked them somehow. While Zan questioned the woman, Kyle pulled Liz aside and told her his suspicions. Liz had agreed to try and befriend the woman and find out what she was hiding.

"Why don't you use your Royal title?" Shandar asked.

"Because I'm not royal," laughed Liz. "None of us are, or at least we don't believe we are. We're just us, you know?"

"But the Granolith chose you to rule," said Shandar. "When you freed Antar from my brother's reign of terror."

Liz looked surprised at the venom she heard in the woman's voice, but she hid it carefully.

"I take it there was no love lost between the two of you," she said carefully. She placed a tray full of food in front of the girl and watched in amazement as the woman beside her began to devour the food ravenously. Shandar ate as if she hadn't seen food in days.

Silently, Liz left the table and returned with more food for the hungry woman. As Shandar ate, Liz opened her mind ad tried to read the other woman. She wasn't as skilled as Kyle, but she was able to feel the confusion and fear that emanated from the woman.

Liz noticed Maria hovering in the background, and she excused herself from the table and made her way quickly to where Maria waited.

"So you learned a new trick?" Maria asked with a smile.

"Yeah, and I don't know how Kyle managed to survive when it first started happening to him," Liz said ruefully. "I feel like I'm being inundated with all these feelings. They're coming at me from all sides."

"It's that bad?" asked Maria, her face a mask of concern for the pain her friend was feeling.

"It's pretty bad, but at least we had Kyle to help us get through it. I'll never forget how much he hurt when he was developing his power. If Drinian hadn't helped him when he did, I don't think he would have survived."

"And Max, Isabel and Space Boy have this power now, too?" asked Maria. "So like maybe he'll finally know when I'm upset, and I won't have to spell it out for him?"

Liz laughed cheerfully. The noise sounded alien, coming from her mouth. The past week hadn't given her many reasons to laugh, and she was afraid she had forgotten how, but five minutes alone with Maria had eased that fear. She could always count on her friend to shake her out of her doldrums.

"Well, we all underwent the same process," Liz said. "But whether it took or not, who knows? Anyhow, I should get back to our _guest_ an see if I can get anything else off of her."

"That's why I'm here," said Maria. "Kyle figured if we threw me in the mix, I would, let me see, what was it he said exactly," Maria paused as she pretended to search her memory. "Oh yeah, confuse the poor girl so much, she wouldn't know if she were coming or going, never mind try and block information."

Liz tried unsuccessfully to contain the laughter that threatened to escape. She covered her mouth with her hands, but nothing could contain the cheerful light that shined from her eyes. Shandar watched them alertly, looking for any signs of treachery or deceit from them.

Liz led Maria over to the table and introduced her to Shandar and watched expectantly. Maria sat down next to the Antarian and began to chatter. Her conversation rambled on about nothing for several minutes, and Liz was pleased to note that Shandar's eyes began to glaze over a bit. This was exactly what she had been waiting for. She focused intently on the Antarian and opened herself up to her feelings.

Liz's eyes opened abruptly, and she stared at Maria in shock. Shandar was a mess of conflicting emotions, ranging from jubilance to sheer, unadulterated hate. But still there was something the other woman was hiding, deep within her, and nothing Liz could do would allow her to access it. But the one thing she didn't feel was the deceit she felt from the Gadori on Earth.

Liz signaled Maria with her eyes, and Maria quickly wound up her conversation and made her excuses to leave. After Maria left, Shandar's shoulders slumped a little and a look of exhaustion crossed her face.

"Your friend is very energetic," she said to Liz.

"Yeah, energetic is a really nice way of putting it. Come on, you must be tired. Let's find you a place to rest. I'm sure whatever information you have for Zan and the others can wait until after you get some rest," said Liz.

She helped Shandar get settled for the night, along with some unobtrusively placed guards. Liz waited until Shandar was asleep before returning to her place with the others.

Max held out his hand to her, and she settled happily into a large chair with her husband. When she was with Max, she always felt like she was more complete, and it was a feeling she had grown to love. What she wanted, more than anything was to sit in the shelter of Max's arms, forever.

"Liz, what did you find out?" Michael asked.

Sighing, Liz sat up a little straighter, the interlude in Max's arms, however brief had to end.

"Well, sending Maria over was brilliant," Liz began. "The poor girl didn't know what hit her."

"The hurricane commonly known as DeLuca did," laughed Alex, and the others joined in.

"Exactly," agreed Liz. "Maria had that poor girl so confused, she didn't know if she was coming or going, but it gave me a good chance to read her. I'm worried though, because I'm not as good as Drinian, or even Kyle. I'm afraid there's a lot I missed."

"Why don't you start with what you found out," said Kyle, "And we'll go from there."

"Well, she's very confused," began Liz. "She's full of a lot of anger, but I can't pinpoint why. Also, she is hiding something, but I'm not sure what. One thing I do know is that she isn't a Gadori. I also don't think she really wants to hurt us. I mean, she's got her agenda, but I don't think destroying us is on it."

Ava had been uncharacteristically silent during the evening. She'd been ashamed at the jealousy that she felt when she'd seen Zan's reaction to the newcomer. She wanted to find some way to atone for her actions, if only to make herself feel better.

"I think we should trust her," Ava said, speaking up. "At least for now, until we find out for certain what she's up to. I also think that Drinian, Kyle and Liz should try and read her again while she's sleeping, or maybe Isabel could dream walk her. We need more information, and I don't think she's going to be entirely forthcoming with what we want to know."

"I thought I was the second in command," Michael grumbled good-naturedly. "Ava and Maria are planning me right out of a job."

"I told you many times that Maria would make a fine general," said Drinian. "Apparently, I should have included Ava as well. It is a fine plan, and if the others are in agreement, I think we should begin."

The others nodded their agreement and moved off to perform their various duties, preparing to wage war against the Gadori.


	34. Chapter 34 What Liz Saw

**Chapter Thirty-Four** – _What Liz Saw_

Shandar sat quietly, trying to figure out exactly what they were up to. Nobody had really pushed her for any information, and surprisingly, they had been very accepting of her. Their acceptance made it incredibly hard for her to continue with her deception. But she had no choice. Lives depended on it.

She allowed her thoughts to drift as she watched the others plan their day. She thought back to when she was a child, and she thought the sun rose and set on her brother Kivar. If ever there was a child blessed by the double moons of Antar, it was he. Everything came so easy to him, lessons, athletics, and friends. He lacked for nothing while she was the family joke. Nothing she ever did was good enough for any of them.

Shandar remembered one time, when she was about fourteen. She had brought home a particularly good report from her gretkla. She had been so excited; she couldn't wait to show her parents. That was the same day Kivar received his acceptance to the Training Academy. Her father had barely glanced at her report before focusing all his attention on Kivar – as usual.

Kivar had tried, or she thought he had, to deflect some of the attention back to her, but looking back, she realized that all he had done was call more attention to himself and his accomplishments. It was just a shame that she hadn't realized any of this before. It would have made her life a lot simpler. But as it was, she hadn't found out what Kivar's plan was until it was too late. Plans that he had set in motion before he had died, plans that she had foolishly agreed to, unaware of the far-reaching consequences.

She sat up warily and looked across the large room at Ava and Liz, who were watching her. She drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs as the walked over to her. She had felt someone probing her mind last night, and it had taken every bit of effort she had to block the attempts. She knew that Ava had the ability to modify minds, and she was afraid of what the young queen would try in an attempt to wrest her secret from her.

"Hi," said Liz, cheerfully. "Do you mind if we join you?"

"You are a queen," said Shandar carefully. "You don't have to ask."

"I'm nobody's queen," Liz reminded her.

"And neither am I," added Ava. "We just figured you must be kind of bored sitting here and figured you might want some company."

"Don't you mean you want to try and modify my mind and get me to tell you everything you want to know," said Shandar, deciding that the best defense was indeed a good offense.

"No, not really," said Ava, her voice direct. "I seldom use my powers that way. It's strictly for recreation," she added, borrowing a line from Isabel.

"What do you mean, recreation?" asked Shandar, her voice tinged with curiosity.

"Well, you know, to make it look like Brad Pitt or George Clooney were bringing you breakfast," laughed Ava.

Liz laughed, her infectious giggle echoing off the rocks that surrounded them, but Shandar only looked more confused.

"I'm afraid I don't understand," said Shandar, smiling despite herself at the sound of Liz's laughter.

"Well, if you promise to trust me, and if I give you my word that I'm not trying anything, I can show you," said Ava.

Shandar again looked wary as she looked at both Ava and Liz, looking for any signs of duplicity in them.

"It's okay," Liz said. "Ava doesn't lie. If she says you can trust her, you can trust her." She schooled her features into a mask of pleasantness, all the while fighting down the loathing she felt at what she was about to do. "Come on, it will be fun," she urged.

"Okay," Shandar conceded, nervously. She was apprehensive, but wanted very much to trust the two women next to her.

"Give me your hand," said Ava. "And look across the room, and tell me what you see."

Shandar looked across the compound and saw a bare chested blond man walking towards her carrying a tray full of food. She watched in amazement as he placed the tray beside her, reached out and took one of her hands and brought it up to her lips.

"Here Shandar, I've brought you some of your favorite foods," the man said.

Shandar looked down beside her at the tray heaped with Antarian delicacies, and her mouth began to water. A yellow flower on the tray caught her attention, and she leaned down and inhaled its heady fragrance.

"Who _are_ you she asked"

"My name is Brad," the stranger said. "And I am here to serve you. Whatever you wish shall be yours. You only have to ask."

Shandar swallowed deeply and looked at the gorgeous man standing in front of her.

"What I want is for you to go away," she said.

No sooner did the words leave her mouth than the vision in front of her vanished. Shandar looked at Liz and Ava and smiled.

"I think I'd like to go you your planet someday," she said with a shy smile. "If all the men are as beautiful as the Earth men I've seen, that is."

"Shandar, are you talking about a specific person?" Ava asked with a knowing grin. She raised an eyebrow and looked at Liz, who looked back and frowned, shaking her head.

"Shandar, I have to go take care of something," Liz said, jumping up. "I'll be back in a while."

Liz quickly crossed the room and disappeared into a narrow passageway. Once she was out of sight, she leaned against the rock wall gasping for breath, and shaking uncontrollably. She didn't know what to do. The plan she and Ava had concocted worked better than either of them could have dreamed. While Ava distracted Shandar with a meaningless mind warp, Liz tried to read her emotions, and what she found shook her to the core.

Shandar's secret was, Liz paused, unable to even fathom the depths Shandar had gone to in order to conceal this information. She didn't know what to do. She wanted to tell Max, but she couldn't. Not this. Shandar's information was to private to personal. Liz bit her lip thoughtfully while she contemplated her options, and finally reached a decision. She walked back down the passageway and entered the room where Ava and Shandar sat and talked.

"Ava, can you excuse us please?" Liz asked politely. "I need to talk to Shandar."

"Sure," said Ava. She unfolded her legs gracefully and slid off the bed and started to walk away. She shot a questioning look at Liz, and Liz just shook her head imperceptibly and waited while Ava exited the room.

"We need to talk," Liz said without preamble. "Where is Zan's baby?"


	35. Chapter 35 Confrontations

**Chapter Thirty-Five** – _Confrontations_

"You bitch," said Shandar. She reached her hand out and slapped Liz squarely across the face. "How did you find out?"

"Hit me again," Liz said, her teeth clenched, "And I will _kill_ you, and don't doubt that I'll do it."

"Liz, stop it, what are you talking about, what baby?" Ava cried, using her hand to restrain Liz. "Zan doesn't have a baby."

"Zan has a baby," Liz said, bitterly. "The only problem is that Zan doesn't know he has a baby, and _she's_ the mother."

"No, this makes no sense," said Ava in denial. "There is no way Zan could have a child and not know about it. It takes two and all that, remember?"

"Not if it's done in a laboratory," said Shandar softly.

"What?" Liz cried. "You did that without his knowledge? How?"

"Wait just one second, your _Majesty_," said Shandar sarcastically. "_I_ didn't do anything. It was more like I had it done to me, unwillingly. You're precious Zan isn't the only victim in this mess. Maybe you should get the whole story before you start making unfounded accusations." She drew herself up regally and glared at Liz, her eyes shooting sparks of fire in the smaller girl's direction. "I had no say in anything that happened. Do you honestly think I would agree to something as heinous as that?"

"Well, gee, now let me see," Liz said in mock consideration. "Yeah, I guess I'd have to say that I think you would. I mean, you came here under false pretenses and lied to us, so yeah, I guess I would believe you could do something like that."

Ava stared at Liz, astounded at the venom in her friend's voice. She'd seen Liz angry plenty of times, but never like this. She was as angry as if Shandar had carried Max's child. Slowly the realization dawned on Ava. For all intents and purposes, Shandar did carry Max's child, because Max and Zan were created from the same genetic material. Ava looked at Liz, really looked at her, and saw the fear that was hidden beneath the surface anger. This was uncharted territory, and she didn't know how to react, and so she was reacting with anger.

"Liz, you need to step back, right now," Ava said with uncharacteristic firmness. "I know what you're thinking, but stop. It's not Max's baby. Do you hear me, Liz? It's not Max's baby."

Shandar looked at the two girls, her expression a mixture of defiant anger, fear and confusion. She didn't understand what they were talking about. Valrik was her baby, hers and Zan's. She couldn't understand why they were taking about Max.

"Why don't you tell us what happened, Shandar," Ava said. "But before you do that, tell us one thing, is the baby safe? That's what matters right now."

"Yes, Valrik is safe," said Shandar, hanging her head. After a moment, she looked back up, and Liz and Ava were able to see the fear and worry that shown in her eyes. At that moment, Liz's heart went out to Shandar. She remembered the pain she felt for so long at the loss of her own child and she vowed that, no matter how angry she was with Shandar, no matter how duplicitous the woman was, they would keep her child safe.

"Come on," Liz said suddenly, her voice hardened with resolve. "You can tell us what happened on the way."

"On the way where?" asked Shandar.

"On the way to get your baby," answered Liz. "Wherever he is, he isn't as safe as he would be in your arms.

Ava, more familiar with the subterranean enclave, led them through a myriad of passages and out into a dark forest. The sun was just peeing out over the horizon, filling the sky with a rosy glow.

"Which way?" asked Liz, looking around at the unfamiliar terrain. "I have no clue where we are."

"This way," said Shandar, pointing down the hill.

"You also have a story to tell us," Ava reminded her.

"I know," said Shandar. She hated to admit how both Kivar and the Gadori had duped her, but if they were telling the truth about protecting Valrik, she was willing to take the risk. They walked in silence for several minutes while Shandar marshaled her thoughts. After several false starts, she began to speak.

"I honestly didn't know what Kivar had planned," she told Liz and Ava. Gadori scientists, posing as doctors examined Zan after he took the throne. One of the tests the performed was to harvest, um, reproductive material from him. The material was then mixed with eggs they had taken from me, and a fetus was created."

"Why did you let them do that to you?" asked Ava.

"It's not like I knew what they were doing," Shandar said. "Kivar convinced me I was ill, very, very ill, and that the only thing that could help me was this new kind of treatment. I didn't know he was lying; I had all these symptoms. Symptoms I later found out he was causing."

She stopped speaking as they climbed down a particularly treacherous part of the trail. Halfway down, Ava slipped and began to slide precariously down the path. Shandar reacted automatically and fired an energy bolt at a small tree, and it fell in the middle of the trail and stopped Ava's descent.

"Thanks," Ava said, shakily after Liz and Shandar caught up with her. "I didn't think I was ever going to stop."

"God, Ava, please tell me you're all right?" Liz begged. "Kyle will kill Max if anything happens to you."

"What?" asked a thoroughly confused Shandar. "Kyle will Kill Max? Why? Max isn't even here?"

"I never claimed that the friendship between our husbands made any sense," said Liz. "But that's the way it is. Ava," she added, turning to the petite blond. "Do you want to rest here for a while before we continue?"

"Yeah," said Ava, moving about, gingerly. She looked down to a patch on her leg that rubbed raw from her fall, and grimaced. "Liz, can you do anything about this?"

"I'll try," said Liz. "I've been working on my healing, but it's nothing like Max and Zan's." She held her hand over the raw patch on Ava's leg and directed her energy towards the angry red wound. Within seconds, the would was healed, causing both Liz and Ava to stare at it in surprise."

"When'd you learn how to do that?" a shocked Ava asked.

"I didn't," said Liz. "I don't know how I did that, unless…"

"Unless what?" asked Ava. "Don't you dare leave me hanging, or I'll go all Maria on you."

"Before we came here, we tried something with the Granolith. It seems that Kyle's empathic powers can sense the Gadori, so we used the Granolith to try and accelerate that ability in us so we could sense them too. Apparently, it tapped into Max's healing ability and I got that as well."

"You have empath powers?" asked Shandar. "That's how you knew about Valrik, wasn't it?"

"Yeah," said Liz. "Ava showed you the Earth eye candy in the hopes that it would lower your defenses. While you were ogling Brad, I ogled your emotions."

"Very clever," Shandar said, grudgingly. "No wonder you were able to defeat my idiotic brother. He only saw the obvious problems and the obvious solutions. He never bothered to look at all the options." She laughed bitterly. "But then again, I guess I didn't either since you found out my secret."

"Do you want to finish telling us what happened?" asked Liz. She was still very angry with the Antarian girl, but she was trying to understand how Kivar had duped the girl.

"Kivar had his _doctors_ remove eggs from me, under the guise of trying to find out what was wrong with me. In another procedure, the same doctors implanted the fertilized eggs in my. They did something to accelerate the growth process of the fetus, and two months, I gave birth to a son."

"I don't understand," said Ava. "First, why would he go to such lengths to create a child of Zan's? He already had his Vilondra clone to give him a legitimate heir? And after he died, why didn't you just escape?"

"The Gadori," said Shandar. "They formulated this plan with Kivar, and they weren't going to let me go. They knew they needed an heir of the Royal Family to activate the Granolith, and they were unwilling to give up their plans, as you have seen."

"Yeah," said Liz. "We've seen, first hand, the lengths the Gadori are willing to go to win this war. How did you get away?"

"About a month ago, they had a victory celebration. They had managed to send a ship down to your planet. They were planning on eliminating you."

"Obviously, they didn't succeed," Liz said, dryly. "Ava, are you okay to get moving. We shouldn't stay in one place for too long."

Ava nodded her ascent, and the three resumed their journey, while Shandar's tale unfolded.

"I took the opportunity to grab Valrik and run," said Shandar. "I've been looking for a way to find the Royal Family ever since. I didn't know what I was going to do when I found them, but I just thought if I could get Valrik to them, he'd be safe."

"He will be, Shandar," said Ava. "I promise you that. But where is he?"

"I left him with a childhood friend of mine," said Shandar. "One who had no love for my brother. Even as children, she could see how devious he was. I never believed her, and it put a great strain on our friendship. I went to her because I had no where else to go, and she took my son in and vowed to protect him with her life."

"Is it much farther?" asked Liz. "I'd like to get you and him back to safety before too long."

"What are you going to tell Zan and the others?" Shandar asked, her expression worried.

"Nothing," said Liz. "You're going to tell him. Don't worry, Shandar, Zan isn't evil. He'll protect you and your child."

"It's just around the bend," Shandar said, excitedly. She'd only been separated from her young son for a day, but her arms ached to hold him.

The rounded the bend, and stopped and stared in shock at all that remained of the former dwelling. Eddy's of smoke drifted up from the burned out shell, and rubble littered the yard. Shandar stifled a cry and dropped to her knees.

"Wait, I hear something," said Liz. They listened closely and heard the faint wail of a baby coming from the woods.

"Valrik!" Shandar cried. She jumped up and ran into the woods towards the direction of the cry. For several minutes the three searched fruitlessly among the trees trying to locate the infant.

It was Ava who finally located him and gave a triumphant shout. Liz and Shandar rushed over to where she knelt down before a manmade cave. She reached in carefully and removed the child and passed him to Shandar. Shandar grabbed the child and held him close, pressing kisses against his downy head. Ava reached into the opening once more and removed a note and a small bundle.

Liz took the note and opened it and read out loud:

_My Dear Friend Shandar,_

I am sorry I did not believe your tale at first. Please forgive me for ever doubting you. _The__ Gadori managed to track you to our home. I was able to hide Valrik, but I am afraid they will be back. I hope you return to rescue your child. I'm sorry I failed to protect him. Blashdar protect you and watch over you both._

Tralia

A crashing sound in the underbrush alerted them to danger.

"Come on, we have to get out of here," said Liz. She looked around, trying to locate the source of the noise.

Without another word, the three dashed deeper into the woods, trying to avoid detection, only to find that they were walking right into the arms of the approaching troops


	36. Chapter 36 Confession

**Chapter Thirty-Six** – _Confession_

"Run!" Shandar cried. She tightened her grip around Valrik, and started to run, but a restraining hand reached out and grabbed her and held her tightly.

"Let go of me you bastard!" she shouted, struggling to break the hold on her arm. "I'll kill you."

"Shandar, how enjoyable to see you again," said the man holding her by the arm. "And how considerate of you to lead us right to your son."

"Leave him alone," cried Shandar. "You don't need him. Let us go."

"You are very wrong, my dear witless little girl," said the man. "We do need him. We need him very much."

Liz looked around, and tried to take stock of the situation. Ten Gadori, looking like Antarian guardsmen, surrounded them on all sides. She glanced at Ava, and tried to will her friend to read her thoughts. If they could work it just right, they could take out at least half of the Gadori, and possibly make a break for it.

"Don't even waste your time, Your Majesty," said the Gadori holding Shandar. "If you try it, you'll die. We have no problem killing you. You're not our Queen, and honestly, having you dead will save us a lot of difficulties."

Liz glared at the Gadori, her eyes filled with hatred. She could see into his soul, and it was inky black. It was like there was nothing inside of him but hate and anger. She shuddered and took a step back, trying to put some distance between herself and the Gadori.

"You will come with us," said the Gadori. "We are taking you back to our stronghold."

"The hell you are," said Liz. "You can kill me here, but I'm not going anywhere with you."

"Easily arranged," said the Gadori with an evil grin. He raised his hand and pointed it Liz's direction.

Liz stood tall; ready to take his full assault unflinchingly when Shandar stepped beside her.

"Go ahead and kill her," Shandar taunted, boldly. "But if you do, you'll be taking a real risk. You may hit the baby instead. Where will you be then, Jenaro?"

"I should have killed you when you gave birth, Shandar," the Gadori named Jenaro said. "You've been nothing but trouble since Kivar brought you to us."

"So go ahead, do it," said Shandar. "You want to kill me so bad, just do it."

"You know I won't," Jenaro ground out between clenched teeth. "Much as I hate to admit it, you're too valuable to us. But believe me when I say that won't stop me from torturing you. I can't wait to hear you beg for your life."

Shandar continued to taunt Jenaro, while the other Gadori looked on. Liz shifted her stance slightly trying to block Ava from view, hoping the petite blond would use the opportunity to escape. Ava was quick to catch on to what Liz wanted, and she carefully began to inch away from the Gadori. Slowly she crept down the hill, until the others were no longer in sight, and then she ran for all she was worth. Hands reached out to grab her, and Ava began to fight like a wildcat, struggling to break free from the arms that held her.

"Ava, stop it, it's me!" Kyle shouted. "Stop it!"

Ava struggled in his arms, and the two fell to the ground. Kyle finally managed to pin Ava's shoulders to the ground, forcing her to look up at him.

"Damn, we sure could have used you on the wrestling team," he said.

"Kyle?" Ava whispered. "Is it really you?"

"Of course it's me, you goof. Who'd you think it would be?"

"The Gadori, they have Liz and Shandar and Valrik," she said. "We have to go back and get them."

"Who the hell is Valrik?" demanded Kyle.

"I'll explain later," said Ava, struggling to get up. "Where are the others, are the with you?"

In lieu of an answer, Kyle put his fingers in his mouth and let out a piercing whistle, and Max and Zan appeared, each coming from a different direction.

"Where are Michael and the others?" Ava asked.

"Right here," said Michael, appearing behind his sister, flanked by Alex and Maria, while Isabel stood behind them.

"Come on, we don't have much time to lose," said Ava. She began retracing her steps up the hill, explaining to the others about the Gadori as they climbed.

"We can split up and circle around," said Michael, and box them in, they way they boxed you in. You said there's about ten of them?"

"Yeah," said Ava, "But we have to be careful of Valrik. I don't think Shandar's going to be able to do anything but protect him."

"That's the second time you mentioned Valrik. Who, or what is Valrik?" asked Kyle.

Ava stopped and looked first at Kyle, then at Zan, her oldest friend, and she struggled to find the words to answer. Finally, she decided the only thing she could do was say it.

"He's your son, Zan. Do you remember undergoing a battery of physical tests when you first took the throne? Well they weren't all doctors. Some of them were Gadori, working for Kivar, and they, well they took,"

"Don't bother saying it," said Zan. "We all know what they took."

"Yeah, well they had another Antarian that they forced to submit to some _tests_ too, only those tests were to make her pregnant with your child," said Ava.

"Shandar," said Zan, his voice dead. "Kivar's sister is the mother of my child."

"Zan, don't," said Ava. "It wasn't like that. She didn't know what was going on, and she certainly didn't want any part of it. As soon as she could, she escaped with the baby and tried to bring him to you. Liz read her and she's telling the truth."

"Did any of you bother to think that maybe this was all some sort of trap?" demanded Michael. "Kyle and Drinian couldn't read her, why should Liz, who's only had the power for like what, a week, be able to succeed when they failed."

"Because I mind warped her into seeing Brad Pitt!" Ava shouted, whirling angrily on her brother. "While her defenses were down, watching Brad serve her breakfast, Liz managed to break through and read her, that's why! Now can we stop arguing and go and get them back."

"I think Zan's one step ahead of you," said Max, pointing up the hill.

The others followed his arm and looked up and saw Zan ready to crest the hill. Breaking into a run, the others quickly climbed the rest of the way up the hill and joined him. Michael reached him first and placed a restraining hand on his shoulder. Zan shrugged it off, but stopped and waited for the others to join him. The small group of Gadori was where Ava had left them, with Liz and Shandar still being held in the center of the group.

After a few hurried minutes of planning, Alex, Isabel and Maria took off to come at them from behind, while Michael and Kyle came at them from the front. By unspoken agreement, Max and Zan planned to come in from the side closest to where Liz stood and get both her and Shandar to safety.

It was over in a matter of minutes. The Gadori lay on the ground, dead or dying, with the exception of Janaro who was now a captive.

"Max, we had no choice," said Liz.

"We always have choices, Liz," said Max. "You made yours. I'm not saying I agree with what you did, but I understand it."

"I'd say you're taking this a lot better than Zan is," said Liz. They looked over at Zan, and the look of desire that filled his eyes when he looked at Shandar had been replaced with a look of hatred.

"Give me my son," he said.

"He's _my_ son," said Shandar, her voice filled with rage.

"Yes, and he's mine too, and I said to give him to me!"

"I will die before I give up my child to anyone," Shandar cried.

"_That_ can be arranged," muttered Zan, angrily.

"Kids, kids, kids," interrupted Maria. "This is no time for a spat. How about if _I_ carry the little cutie here, and you two talk while we get the hell out of here. This is still enemy territory you know."

Maria reached out to a speechless Shandar and took the baby from her arms and began to walk towards the valley that hid their encampment. Zan, realized that arguing with Maria was an exercise in futility and threw a helpless glance back at Michael.

"See why I had no choice?" he asked. "I had to make her a general."


	37. Chapter 37 This Changes Everything

**Chapter Thirty-Seven** – _This Changes Everything_

Zan stared morosely into the flickering flames of the fire, lost deep within his own thoughts, until Max placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Want to talk about it?" he asked.

"What's there to say?" Zan replied. "She's either lying, or telling the truth, and I'm inclined to believe she's telling the truth. That means I have a son, and I didn't even get a little sumptin sumptin when the deed was done," he added slipping back, for just a moment into what the others coined dupe speak.

"And is that why you're concerned?" asked Max, struggling not to smile. "Because you didn't get to participate in the actual act?"

"No, God, no, of course not!" Zan practically shouted. "But thinking about that is a hell of a lot easier than focusing on the fact that both Shandar and I were totally and completely violated, and that a poor innocent child was brought into this whole mess."

"Yeah, it does suck," Max said, calmly. "The question is what are you going to do about it?"

"I don't get why you're so calm about this," said Zan, turning to face Max. He turned away again and added another chunk of wood to the fire and watched the flames flare up, throwing a ghostly glow on the corner of the chamber where they sat.

"This could very well be considered your child as well. Don't forget we're the same frigging person."

"We're _not_ the same, Zan," said Max. "Any more than identical twins are the same. Each one has his or her own individual characteristics, and so do we. Much as I'd love to say Valrik was mine, he's yours and yours alone."

Zan looked sharply at his brother, hearing the ache of longing in Max's voice, and he remembered suddenly, that Max and Liz had already lost a child at the hands of Tess. He cleared his throat and smiled at Max.

"Well, you're going to be the official Godfather," he said. "Michael, Alex and Kyle can all be unofficial or something."

"Poor kid is in trouble already if you're going to be his Godfather," said Maria, joining the conversation. She squeezed in between Max and Zan and suddenly smiled at them.

"So how are my two best male girlfriends doing today?"

"What do you want, Maria?" Zan asked, his tone suspicious.

"What, I can't come and spend some time with you two?" She asked. "I have to want something?"

"Yes," Zan and Max responded simultaneously. "You want something."

"Well, you're right," said Maria. "I do want something. What are you going to do?" she asked Zan.

"About what, Maria? Global warming on Earth, the state of the economy, or the over abundance of Gadori infiltrating my planet?"

"About Valrik, you idiot," Maria answered, slapping Zan lightly on the arm. "You can't wage a war with a baby in a snuggli pouch on your chest."

"Maria, what in the hell are you talking about?" Zan demanded. "Valrik is fine, Shandar's watching him, and I'm not about to bring him into battle."

"Guess again," said Maria, smirking slightly. "Ava is watching Valrik, while Isabel and Liz try and talk Shandar out of leaving."

"The hell you say!" shouted Zan, jumping up. "She's not going anywhere. She's the baby's mother, and she needs to be with him whether she likes it or not! Where is she?"

"Oh, over there," Maria said in an innocent voice, pointing across the cavernous enclave. She watched in satisfaction as Zan stormed across the compound and grinned at Max.

"That worked," she said, smiling complacently.

"Maria, what did you just do?" Max asked.

"Me, nothing," Maria said. "Max, why do you always assume that I'm up to something?"

"Because you usually are, _General_," Max said, placing undue emphasis on the word.

"Fine, if that's the way you're going to be about it," said Maria. "It's simple. Zan was over here doing a great imitation of you, brooding, and Shandar was over there, worried that Zan was going to go all king like and take her son from her, so I decided to just kind of bring them together."

"You are such a trouble maker," said Max, flashing a grin in her direction.

"Yeah, I know, but that's why you love me," said Maria. "In a totally platonic and non-romantic way, of course."

"So you want to go watch the fireworks?" Max asked.

"Are you kidding?" Maria said. "I have Michael and Liz saving us front row seats.

Halfway across the compound they could hear the shouting, and the two hurried over to join Michael and Liz who were watching from behind a stone pillar.

"What did we miss?" Maria asked, sliding in next to her husband and her best friend.

"Not too much," said Michael, chewing on the Antarian equivalent of potato chips. "Zan came charging in, with a full head of steam, and Shandar is giving it right back to him. She makes Maria look calm by comparison."

"Jerk," said Maria. "Now shut up, I'm trying to listen."

"Eavesdrop you mean," said Liz, laughing.

"I don't notice you not trying to listen," Maria shot back.

Liz flushed a becoming shade of red and answered. "Well, it's obvious they belong together. We just need to help them along."

"You're not going anywhere!" Zan yelled, his eyes flashing sparks as he glared at Shandar. "Valrik is your son, he needs you here."

"Right!" Shandar spat contemptuously. "You just want me here as a wet nurse for him, and when the time is right, you'll throw me out. I know I'll never be able to take him from you, but maybe if I leave now, it won't hurt me as much!"

Zan drew himself up to his full height, and glared at Shandar, his eyes shooting sparks of fire.

"Oh, shit," whispered Max. "Don't do it. Don't do it, Zan. Don't play the king card."

"I am Zan, undisputed ruler and King of Antar, and you _will_ do as I say!" Zan shouted.

"Oh shit, he played the king card," Max whispered.

Without a word, Shandar drew back and slapped Zan with all her might. Zan staggered a bit under the sudden onslaught, then reached out and grabbed Shandar by her arms and began to kiss her passionately.

"Okay," said Max, softly to the others. "Maybe the king card wasn't such a bad idea after all.


	38. Chapter 38 Infiltration

**Chapter Thirty-Eight** – _Infiltration_

Michael walked through the capitol city of Antar, mingling with the crowds. His objective was to gather information; at least that's what he told the others. His real objective was to find his father, and then, if luck was with him, beat the shit out of him. He ducked behind a building and changed his appearance and stepped out back into the crowd to resume his search.

"Marish!" Is that you?" A voice from the crowd called.

Michael ignored the call until a large beefy hand came crashing down on to his shoulder, almost forcing him into the ground.

"Marish, that is you, you no good cheat!"

Michael turned around and found himself staring at the biggest Antarian he had ever seen.

"Uh, sorry," said Michael. "I'm afraid you're mistaken."

"I'm not mistaken," the man growled. "You're Marish, and you owe me seventy five qariks."

Michael felt his feet leave the ground as the man lifted him up and pinned his back against the wall. He swallowed down a feeling of panic as he tried o figure out what to do. He knew he cold kill the man, but that particular option left him with a feeling of distaste in his mouth. Spying something on the man's collar, he looked closer and saw that it was the insignia worn by those who fought with them to regain the throne from Kivar.

Risking all, Michael transformed his features and showed his true face to the man, then quickly transformed his features again.

"Lord Michael," the man whispered. He quickly released his hold on Michael, and he tumbled to the ground. The man reached down and hauled him to his feet and began to dust him off, apologizing profusely all the while.

"I am so sorry, My Lord," the man said. "Forgive me. I didn't realize that you were here."

"Relax," said Michael. "It's no big deal."

"But it is Lord Michael," said the man. "I attacked one of the members of the Royal Family."

"Can we lose the Lord Michael thing, and while we're at it, what's your name anyhow?"

"I am Wandred, Lord Michael," said the beefy giant. "Have you and the others returned to aid King Zan in his fight to regain the throne?"

"Look, I said chill with the Lord stuff," Michael said, brusquely. "And what do you mean, Zan's fight to regain the throne?" he added cagily. "I thought that all was well between Zan and Lord Kivar."

"Bah," Wandred spat. "Whatever that thing is up there, it's not Kivar, and King Zan would _never_ make any kind of deals with him, even if it were."

_Damn,_ Michael thought to himself. _I wish I had even a glimmer of that empathic power of Kyle's. I __**think**__ he's alright, but I don't know if I'm wishing or not._

"Hey," came a voice from behind Wandred. "Got any milk? I brought the HoHo's."

"Jesus, Valenti, don't _do_ that," said Michael, spinning around. "I could have killed you or something."

"Lord Kyle," said Wandred, bowing low.

"Yeah, can we can the Lord stuff," said Kyle. "Much as I like and enjoy being worshipped, it only really works if it comes from Ava. What's up?" he added, turning to Michael.

"Can you do your Counselor Troi impression please?" Michael asked.

"Did and done," said Kyle. "And all is well in the small and insular world of Michael Guerin."

"Thanks, man," said Michael. "Look, Wandred, here's what I need you to do. You can't tell _anyone_ that you know we're here. Got it? And, I want you to start meeting with people you know for certain are loyal to King Zan. Don't tell them _anything,_ but try and feel out some people. Just be careful. You don't know who you can trust anymore, and the person who looks like your best friend may be your deadliest enemy."

"Aye, Lord, I mean Michael," said Wandred. He bowed low, but stood up hastily as he remembered that all of the royals had a blatant dislike of all formality and royal protocol.

"We'll meet you back here in three days," said Michael. "Come alone, and the code word is," Michael paused and searched his memory for a word that would clearly identify Wandred, but wouldn't be figured out by the Gadori.

"Ho Ho's," Kyle interjected. "The code word is Ho Ho's."

"Ho Ho's repeated Wandred," testing the foreign word on his tongue experimentally. "Very well, I will be back in three days."

Kyle waited until Wandred was out of earshot before he turned to Michael.

"So did you have any luck finding him yet?"

"Finding who?" asked Michael, being purposely obtuse.

"Your father, numb nuts. And don't try to tell me you weren't out here looking for him. It was pretty damn obvious from the second you came up with that lame plan to reconnoiter," said Kyle.

"You know, that stupid empath power of yours is starting to get on my nerves," Michael growled.

"D'uh, it wasn't that," said Kyle. "Anyone who knows you knows something is up, and those of us who know what's on your mind know what it is."

"Great," said Michael. "I think I liked it better when I was Stonewall Guerin."

"Give it up, Michael," said Kyle, slapping him on the back. "Now let's start looking. I figured you could use some help seeing as Cal probably doesn't look like Cal anymore."

"Yeah, thanks," said Michael, a bit grudgingly. He wanted to be the one to find Cal, and get some answers out of him, before he killed him. "Come on, let's walk through the market place and see if you can pick up his sent or something."

"Uh, Michael, I'm not a bloodhound you know," said Kyle. "It's not exactly like that."

"I know, I know," said Michael. "Max and I were talking about it. We can kind of get what you're feeling, but it's just so hard."

"Is it hard, or are you afraid?" Kyle asked.

"I'm not afraid of anything," said Michael, his voice tinged with anger.

"Yeah, really, Michael. Try telling me something I will believe," taunted Kyle. "I saw you when it first happened to me. You were totally freaked by what was happening, and you didn't want it happening to you. Neither did Max. That's why the two of you are having such a hard time accessing the ability. You're blocking it, just like you all block the memories of the collective consciousness."

Michael glared at Kyle and drew his fist back and punched him in the face. The impact knocked Kyle to the ground but he jumped back up and laid into Michael for all he was worth.

A crowd of people gathered around and watched as the two men pummeled each other. Finally one man reached in and pulled Michael off of Kyle and glared at him.

"Are you insane!" the man shouted. "Drawing attention to yourself. What the hell were you thinking?"

Kyle swiped at his nose and tried ineffectually to stem the stream of blood. "I was thinking," he said between gasps of breath. "That it worked."

The man opened his mouth to speak but a tremendous explosion that rocked the ground stopped his words.

"Come on, we have to get out of here," the man said, pulling himself off of the ground.

"Right," said Kyle. "And you're coming with us, _Cal_."


	39. Chapter 39 Reunion

**Chapter Thirty-Nine** – _Reunion_

Michael glared at Kyle. "How the hell do you do that?" he groused.

"What?" laughed Kyle. "Know that Cal was nearby, or the serious kicking I gave your ass?"

"You did _not_ kick my ass," said Michael, shooting Kyle with a glare that would have felled a lesser man.

"Yeah, I did," Kyle said, smugly.

"He did," said Cal, joining the conversation. "Now can the two of you stop arguing like a bunch of old ladies? That explosion was _not_ a part of the fourth of July fireworks you know."

"What was it?" asked Michael.

"I blew up a weapons storehouse," said Cal. "And conveniently enough, it was located right next to a facility that housed a lot of the Gadori ships. Unfortunately for them, the explosion probably wiped it out, as well."

"Well great. Zan can give you a medal or something after we get you back to Sanctuary," said Michael. "Come on, let's get out of her."

"I'm not going back with you," said Cal.

"It's not open for discussion," said Michael. "So just shut up and let's get going."

As Michael argued with Cal, Kyle stepped up behind and surreptitiously pressed his hand on Cal's back. He gave a small nudge with his mind, and Cal fell unceremoniously to the ground, unconscious.

"Nice work," said Michael.

"Thanks, I am to please, " was Kyle's response. "Now, how do we get him back?

"Um, we could drag him through the streets by his feet," Michael offered hopefully. "But then, Max or Zan would probably want to heal him or something, and I don't want them wasting their power on him."

"I've got an idea," said Kyle. "Help me lift him up."

He reached down and pulled on of Cal's arms around his neck, while Michael did the same on the other side. Kyle placed his hand on the small of Cal's back and focused intently. He focused a minute burst of energy towards Cal's spine, and to his satisfaction, and Michael's amazement, Cal's legs began to move of their own accord.

"How the hell did you do that?" asked Michael in amazement.

"Well, body movement occurs when the brain sends out an electrical impulse through the nervous system to the part of the body that it wants moved. I figured we could bypass the brain part and use our won electrical impulses to move him."

"Who the hell are you, and what happened to Kyle?" demanded Michael. "What, are you channeling Alex or Liz, or something?"

"I, uh, I read a book this past summer about spinal injuries, and it sort of stuck with me. Kind of sucks that that particular alien power didn't manifest itself in high school or something."

"Buddha would have frowned up on you using your powers for evil, Kyle," Michael teased.

"Shut up," Kyle said amicably. "Or you can carry your father all by yourself."

"How hard can it be?" asked Michael. "All I need to do is give him a jolt of energy right about here, right?"

"No! Michael, don't do it!" Kyle shouted, but it was too late.

He put his hand on Cal's back and shot a burst of energy into his back. Cal's body stiffened momentarily, and his legs began to move as if he was running a race. Both Kyle and Michael lost their grip on the older man, and he moved forward several feet, but without their support, his unconscious fell in a heap on the ground. Michael and Kyle looked down at the crumpled body, legs jerking spasmodically and struggled not to laugh.

"Guess I should have read the book," said Michael.

"Gee, ya think?" asked Kyle.

"What I wouldn't give for a camera right now," said Michael, still fighting the urge to explode into full-fledged laughter. "Come on, let's get him back to the others. Much as I hate the guy, this is one reunion that needs to happen sooner, rather than later."

They hefted Cal's body, and led him down the steep incline into the ravine that hid the entrance to their underground hiding place. Once inside, Michael sent a soldier to locate Drinian, Kitana and Dijanya, while he and Kyle dragged Cal's body to a secluded section of the cavern set aside for the royal family's use.

"Kyle, can you go find Max and the others and have them come here?" he asked. "But maybe you'd better keep Maria and Ava away until I have a chance to talk to them."

"Are you nuts?" Kyle asked. "Why don't you want them here?"

"Mostly because I haven't told either one of them about Cal," said Michael.

"Well, I told Ava," said Kyle. "I don't keep secrets from my wife. She deserved to know."

"How'd she take it?" asked Michael, his face a mask of worry. The last thing he wanted was for anybody to cause his sister any pain.

"She took it better than you," said Kyle. "At least she didn't try to track him down and kill him, but I don't think she's going to be asking him to Sunday dinner any time soon. Why didn't you tell Maria?"

Michael shot Kyle a knowing look, and Kyle laughed. "I know, because General DeLuca would have marshaled her troops to find him and kill him, right?"

"Exactly," said Michael. "She would have torn the planet apart looking for him, and we didn't need that. Well, can you go get the others. _All_ the others," he added pointedly. "And bring them here, while I wake sleeping ugly over her back up, and it _won't_ be with a kiss, I can promise you that."

Kyle jogged off into the recesses of the cavern and quickly found Max, Isabel, Alex, Ava and Liz. He whispered his news to them and told them where Michael was waiting. Max promised to get Zan and Shandar who were sequestered away somewhere trying to come to terms with the fact that they were parents.

He tracked Maria down and pulled her away from her strategy meeting and asked her to meet the others in the royal quarters. She grumbled a bit, but when Kyle told her Michael needed her, she dropped everything without another word and made her way across the cavern, Kyle trailing worriedly along behind her. He didn't have a good feeling about what was going to happen, and he wasn't sure that Maria was going to react well to the news.

"Maria, wait!" Kyle called. "Maybe I'd better tell you something before you go in there."

"Tell me what, Kyle?" Maria said. "Is it important. I mean, can it wait, because if Michael needs me, I don't want to keep him waiting."

"Well, it's kind of about Michael," said Kyle.

"He's all right, isn't he?" Maria demanded, her face going white. "You'd tell me if he was hurt or anything, right? Kyle, tell me he's all right!"

"Maria, relax, look, I said that all wrong," said Kyle. "Physically, Michael is fine, but something happened back home. Something he didn't tell you about. He was going to, but then something else happened, and he decided he wasn't the right time."

"Kyle, you're starting to totally freak me out," said Maria. "Plus, you're rambling, and that's like my job, remember?"

"Yeah, well you've kind of been busy being a General lately, and maybe I decided we needed a little rambling," said Kyle in an attempt to delay the inevitable.

"Now you're stalling. Just tell me," said Maria.

"We met someone back home, and well, this someone, Jesus, Maria, this is hard, well, this someone is Michael and Ava's father. We brought him back with us, but he escaped, and Michael just tracked him down and we brought him back here," Kyle said in a rush.

Kyle quickly explained Cal's role as member of the Gadori ship that brought the pod squad to Earth, and his subsequent attempts to contact them, and how after he couldn't make contact with them after various attempts, he wrote them off as not wanting any part of their Antarian heritage.

"Oh, I see," said Maria, her face devoid of all expression, and her voice flat. "And Michael didn't see fit to tell me this because?"

"Because he knew you loved him enough to want to tear apart the planet until you found Cal and that you'd forcibly drag him back here if you had to."

"And what about you, or Liz, Max, or even Isabel?" Maria said in a voice laced with venom. "Why didn't any of _THEM_ tell me?"

"Uh, Maria, this might not be the time to point it out to you, but we are in the middle of a war, things have been a little crazy around here. Factor in a missing sister of Kivar's, and Zan finding out that he's a father without any of the usual pleasantries that go with making a baby, and you wonder why none of us thought to tell you? Damn it, Maria, get over yourself, will you. Now your husband needs you, and I suggest you get your ass into the family quarters and be there for him!"

"I'm not finished with you, Valenti," Maria said. "We'll finish this later."

She turned abruptly and stalked across the cavern fuming at Kyle and Michael and the world in general as she walked. By the time she reached the area set aside for the royal family, her temper had cooled enough to allow her to stand beside Michael without blowing him up.

"Is that him?" she asked her husband who stood near Cal's still unconscious body with a guilty look on his face.

"Uh, it depends on who him is?" asked Michael, stalling for time.

"Give it up, Space Boy. Kyle caved and told all, or at least the short version. So, is this him, or isn't it?"

"Yeah, it's him," said Michael. "Look, Maria, I'm sorry I didn't tell you, really I am."

"Later, Michael. We don't have time for this right now." She leaned over and slapped Cal across the face. "Hey, you! Daddy-in-law! Wake up!"

Cal groaned and instinctively covered his face with his hands to ward off any more of Maria's slaps.

"Daddy, I'd like you to meet your daughter-in-law, Maria," said Michael with a smile. Maria, meet my father."

"I'd say it's a pleasure," said Maria. "But it's not. You filthy son of a bitch, get up so I can kill you."

"Oh, did I forget to mention that Maria is one of Zan's top Generals?" Michael added with a smirk.

"This day is not going anything like I planned," said Cal.

"Rough day, Cal?" said Max, entering the room with Liz. "Pity."

"This him?" asked another voice as Zan walked in, holding his son in his arms, Shandar at his side. Alex, Isabel, Ava and Kyle filed in behind them and joined the others, but Cal virtually ignored them when he saw his oldest and dearest friends walk into the room, flanking his beloved wife.

"Cladar," Dijanya whispered before falling to the ground.


	40. Chapter 40 Altercation

**Chapter Forty** – _Altercations_

Michael shoved Cal out of the way and rushed to his mother's side and shook her gently.

Cal shot Michael a withering glare before he stepped forward and knelt before Drinian.

"My Lord, I have failed you," he said, his head bowed.

"Stand up my friend," said Drinian. "How could you have failed? We thought that you had died. I myself saw your body. But we can get to that later. See to your wife."

Drinian stepped aside and motioned to Cal to step forward to Dijanya's prone form.

"Cladar?" Dijanya whispered, opening her eyes. "Can it really be you?"

"Dijanya," Cal replied, his voice brusque.

Dijanya struggled to rise, her eyes reflecting the hurt she felt at Cal's abrupt answer. "Cladar, what is wrong?"

"Don't mind Cal, Dijanya," Kyle said, moving next to his mother-in-law, his soft tone doing much to ease the wounds left by Cal's treatment. "He's having a difficult time adjusting to life back on Antar. In fact, he got separated from us when we first arrived. Michael and I have been searching for him since then."

Kyle's look dared Cal to say anything different, and Cal, if possible seemed to shrink slightly before Kyle's withering glare.

"Thank you, my sons, for this precious gift you have brought me," said Dijanya. She reached out and took Kyle and Michael's hands in hers. "You have made my family whole again. There is no greater gift."

She released their hands and turned toward Ava and Maria.

"My daughters," she said, softly. "Don't stand back, come join us. Make our family circle complete."

Maria took a hesitant step toward the small group. In one swift glance, she saw pain and suffering that was masked behind the stone face of Michael Guerin; a face she had not seen in quite a long time. She looked from Michael to Cal. She moved a bit closer and looked closely at Cal. Something about him seemed familiar, and she searched her mind, trying to recall where she had seen that face. With amazing clarity the memory rushed back, and for a moment, she was transported back to the CrashDown restaurant.

_That's it,_ she thought to herself. _I saw him there, at the CrashDown. He'd come in, stare at Michael for a while and leave._

Without further warning, Maria balled her small hand into a fist and drove it into Cal's stomach with her not inconsiderable strength. Cal doubled over, his breath leaving his body with a gusty whoosh, and Maria fled the small room where the reunion took place.

"Well, that went as well as could be expected," said Kyle, to nobody in particular while Liz rushed after her friend. "Though I really wasn't expecting Maria to be the one to take Cal down."

** * ** *

"Maria, Maria wait!" Liz shouted, chasing after her friend. "Maria, what's wrong?"

"What's wrong? What's wrong? I'll tell you what's wrong. That bastard, that insufferable, selfish bastard, that's what's wrong. I've seen him before. He's been at the CrashDown. I've seen him there, staring at Michael. Jesus, Liz, that's his _father._ His whole life, the one thing Michael has wanted was a family and there was his own father coming in to gawk at him. And don't tell me that bastard didn't recognize him. I've seen pictures of him when he was younger. Michael looks just like him, but with better hair."

"Maria, I," began Liz.

"And another thing, why the hell didn't you tell me any of this before. I'm your best friend, Liz. We're not supposed to have any secrets from each other. You knew. You helped to bring him back here, but you didn't bother to tell me!"

"Maria, I," Liz tried again.

"Don't bother, I don't want to hear any more excuses," said Maria. She turned as if to walk away. Liz reached out and grabbed her arm and spun her back around with considerable strength.

"Maria, will you shut up and listen!" Liz shouted. "You're absolutely right, Cal did come to the CrashDown, probably on a number of occasions. He also left messages in Antarian around town many different times for Max, Michael and Isabel. When none of them responded, he assumed that they didn't want anything to do with him, or their lives on Antar, so he didn't try to contact them."

"Well, how could they respond?" asked Maria. "None of them could read or write Antarian back then."

"Right," said Liz. "But Cal didn't know that. Remember how surprised Drinian was when he found out none of them knew anything about their previous lives?"

"Oh shit," said Maria. "I just sucker punched my father-in-law right in the stomach. This is _not_ going to buy me any bonus points at Christmas time."

"Relax, Maria. Cal probably appreciates it more than you know. Besides, Michael's taken more than a few swings at him as well. To say they haven't bonded would be the understatement of the century."

"Liz, why didn't you tell me?" Maria asked in unaccustomed seriousness. "I deserved to know."

"It wasn't my secret to tell, Maria. It was Michael's. But in his defense, he wasn't dealing too well with it himself. Plus, he was afraid you'd tear apart the planet looking for Cal yourself."

"I probably would have," Maria admitted.

Liz motioned to a pair of unoccupied chairs, and the two girls went and sat down. Liz filled Maria in on everything that had happened on Earth prior to their arrival, this time omitting no details. Thanks to the developing empathic powers of Kyle, Liz could feel Maria's rage as she told her of Cal's terrible attitude toward them. But thanks to the same power, she was able to understand the pain that Cal had been dealing with and share some of it with Maria. When her story ended, Maria looked at Liz with a new sense of understanding in her eyes.

"I guess you were having just as much fun down there, as we were up here," she said.

"I don't know _General,_ I think you've been having a little bit of fun being in charge."

"Okay, well that part's pretty cool, but Liz, I don't know how were going to beat these guys. I mean, we can't have you and Kyle going up to all of them and trying to sense if they have a soul," said Maria. "They have to have some weakness."

"We'll figure it out Maria," said Liz. "Together. Just like we always do. Are you ready to go back and be with the others."

"I guess," said Maria, standing up. "Do you suppose I ought to apologize to Cal for sucker punching him?"

"What do you think?" asked Liz with a laugh.

"I'm going with no," Maria replied, smiling. "He was a lousy tipper, anyhow."


	41. Chapter 41 Say What?

**Chapter Forty-One** – Say What?

Well, if everyone has worked past their rage at their parental units, we have some planning to do," Max said later that evening.

"I don't know if worked past it are the words I would use," said Michael. "But I'm good for now. Ava, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I guess," said the petite blonde. "I just don't understand why he didn't keep trying to communicate with us."

"I'm not saying what he did was right," said Liz. "But try and look at it from his perspective. He was trying to communicate with you, but he was leaving Antarian messages. You couldn't read them, but he didn't know that. He just assumed that you wanted nothing to do with him."

"Look," Michael said with some bitterness in his voice. "We can rehash this until forever. It isn't going to change the fact that the man essentially blew us off. Now can we get on with the planning?"

Liz shot Michael a hurt look, but tried hard not to take offense at his caustic tones or comments. He was hurting, she could feel it pouring off of him in waves, and arguing with him wasn't going to change matters.

"Let's look at everything we know about the Gadori so far, and admittedly, that isn't much," said Zan. "They've assimilated into our world with no apparent difficulties."

"They are also capable of surviving on _our_ world," said Isabel. "Without any problems."

"Let's look at the why's," said Zan. "Why are they doing this? Why do they want to take over Antar? Gador is just about the same size, actually, except for being slightly bigger, it's an exact duplicate of Antar."

"Colonization," said Alex. "The main reason anyone leaves home and moves to a new place. There have to be advantages for them, monetary, is usually the main benefit."

"But as a society, both Antarians and Gadorians have moved past the capitalistic society," said Maria. "The societies are almost, well Utopian. There isn't any hunger, poverty, or negative class distinctions."

The room fell silent and everybody stared, their faces betraying varying levels of shock and amazement.

"Uh, who are you and what did you do with Maria DeLuca?" quipped Kyle.

"Just because I was in regular social studies doesn't mean I didn't pay attention," said Maria. "Besides, this is important. I've been doing a lot of research lately. Like Zan said, we need to figure out why before we do anything else. There's always a possibility of negotiation. Full out war is an absolute last resort."

"Is anybody else besides me afraid?" asked Kyle. "Maria's making sense."

"Shut up, Kyle," Maria said. "Or I'll have my husband kill you."

"Yes, ma'am," said Kyle. He folded his hands in his lap and looked up at Maria with an expression reminiscent of a first grader waiting for his teacher to impart some wonderful gem of knowledge.

"Jerk," said Ava, smiling playfully. She shoved Kyle and he fell off his chair to the ground with a resounding crash.

Drinian, passing by, looked in, enjoying the sound of his children having a good time, and knowing that in spite of the laughter, they were accomplishing a great deal of work.

He turned to walk away, and collided with a female figure, sending her crashing to the ground.

"Forgive me, Shandar, are you hurt?" he asked, courteously.

"I am fine, Uncle," Shandar replied, looking at the ground.

"Something is bothering you, Shandar, would you like to tell me about it?"

"Why should I bother?" demanded Shandar. "You can find out, you don't need me to tell you."

"No, I don't, but I also wouldn't intrude upon you in that way."

"You tried before," the girl countered.

"That is when I thought you were an enemy. Now I know you are not. You are a victim in this war, as is Zan," said Drinian.

"They don't see me as one," she said contemptuously, pointing to the room where the group of young people joked and laughed as they planned strategies.

"You have not given them a reason too, have you?" queried Drinian. "You have been on the defensive with them ever since we learned of the child."

"Wouldn't you be?" asked Shandar. "Zan has the power to take Valrik away from me."

"Do you think he would?" Drinian asked softly.

"N-no, I don't think so," Shandar whispered.

"Then why don't you go in there and give him, give them all a chance to get to know you, and give yourself a chance to know them. They are good people. I think you will like them."

"I will try, Uncle," Shandar said. "But it's, I'm afraid,"

"I think I can help with that," said Drinian. He took Shandar's hand and led her into the area where the others had congregated.

"Hello, children," he said. "The sound of your laughter is a joy to hear indeed. I've brought one more for your, uh, what is the word I'm looking for?"

"Think tank," said Alex, while Ava replied "Popcorn party."

"Well, maybe it's a little of both," Drinian laughed. "But I thought Shandar could offer some more insight into the Gadori as she was held prisoner by them for a time."

Shandar stood before them, her eyes telegraphing the fear she felt. It was Liz who slid her chair over and motioned for Shandar to sit between her and Zan. Shandar smiled gratefully and slid gracefully into the chair Zan pulled up to the table.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"How is Valrik?" Zan asked, softly. "Any problems getting him to sleep?"

"No, he's a good baby," Shandar said. "Perhaps tomorrow, you could join us for bedtime."

"I'd like that," Zan said.

"Um, excuse me," said Max. "But if you're done picking out tomorrow's bedtime story, maybe we could get some work done?"

"Hey, let's remember whose the king here," said Zan.

"Yeah, let's remember who was the king _first_," parried Max.

Liz looked at Shandar who seemed cowed by the comments between Max and Zan. The byplay was familiar to all of them, but Shandar, as a newcomer wouldn't understand that they were just having fun.

"Excuse me," she yelled, using as dignified a voice as she could manage. "I am the Queen, and I command both of you to shut up and get me a drink."

"Yeah, right, get your own drink, Queenie," laughed Zan. "You're wife sure likes to play the queen card whenever she's too lazy to get her own drink. Maybe you should start throwing her in the royal dungeon or something."

Everyone, Shandar included, exploded in to laughter, which did much to ease the tension that had built up with Shandar's arrival. Drinian slipped away unnoticed, smiling at the way Liz had diffused a tense situation.

_I always did like that girl,_ he thought to himself.

** * ** *

"Okay, if everyone is ready to focus," said Michael. "We need to figure out why the Gadori are hell bent on taking over our world."

"I know," said Shandar. "Gador is dying. Their climate is changing, and their bodies can't withstand the changes.

A shocked silence filled the room and everyone stared at Shandar.

"Did, did I say something wrong?" she asked.


	42. Chapter 42 Adjustment

**The Enemy Unknown The Enemy Unseen**

**Chapter Forty-Two** – _Adjustment_

"What did you say?" Zan finally asked.

"I'm sorry, maybe I shouldn't have said anything," Shandar said. "I just thought I could help in some way."

"No, no, you helped, Shandar. You really did, it's just that, I, we, we weren't expecting you to," stammered Zan.

"Have any useful information," said Shandar. She pressed her lips together tightly and crossed her arms over her chest, and Zan realized he had just had a large helping of proverbial shoe leather.

"No, that's _not_ what I'm saying. We were all just shocked that you jumped in so quickly. I mean, it took me months before I felt comfortable enough with these bozos to offer a suggestion," said Zan. "And here you are, after what, five minutes giving us vital information. It was a shock, that's all."

"Nice save," Kyle whispered sotto voce. "I thought for sure you were a dead man."

"You needed an answer, and I had one," said Shandar. "Why wouldn't I help? And what is a bozo?"

"I'll explain later, Shandar," Ava said, smothering a grin. "Intro to Earth Culture 101 is going to take more than five minutes."

"Intro to Earth Culture? You people are very strange," said Shandar.

"Yeah, we know," Alex said, almost proudly. "We work at it."

"Ignore him," said Zan, giving Alex a pained look. "Tell us more about what's going on, and how you found out."

"Well, when I was locked up, I spent a lot of time listening, and I overheard a lot," explained Shandar. "Also, I think my brother," she shuddered, thinking of Kivar, "Told them that I wasn't very intelligent, and the scientists would speak openly in front of me, certain that I could not comprehend what they were discussing. And, while I'm not a genius, I was able to understand what they were talking about."

"Yeah, well, they were stupid not to realize how smart you are," said Zan. Without thinking, he reached out and squeezed Shandar's hand gently.

Maria's quick eye caught the movement, and she nudged Ava, who poked Isabel, who stepped gently on Liz's foot under the table. Without a word being spoken, the four girls began to make intricate plans to get Zan and Shandar together, as much as possible.

"Hey, can the four of you focus, please," said Kyle. "You're giving me a headache."

"Uh, Kyle, what are you talking about?" asked Michael. "Mind filling us in, cause none of us have a freaking clue?"

"No, I'm not filling you in, and some of us _do_ have a clue, and _some_ of us should probably just give in gracefully, because they don't stand a chance," Kyle responded, cryptically.

"Yeah, thanks for clearing that up for me," said Michael.

Ava began to giggle uncontrollably, and Liz, Maria and Isabel soon followed suit. Alex's lips twitched as he watched Isabel's face light with laughter, and soon he was laughing as well. Within minutes, the room was filled again with the sound of laughter, though half the room didn't know why they were laughing.

Outside the room, two men listened to the sounds of laughter and gaiety.

"Those are the ones who you think are going to save your world?" one asked.

Those are the ones who _are_ going to save _our_ world," said the other. "You would do well to start remembering that, my friend."

"I think you're putting too much faith in them. They are nothing but a bunch of kids. Stupid punks, all of them."

"Including your son, Cladar?" Drinian asked, softly.

"Especially him," said Cal. "He's nothing but a two bit hoodlum, that someone dressed up and taught some manners."

"Sounds like somebody else I know," said Drinian, clapping his friend on the shoulder. "I remember your own father saying very much the same thing about you."

"And he wasn't far wrong," said Cal. "Look how I turned out. I failed the most important mission you could have ever entrusted to me."

"Cal, you _didn't_ fail. I wish you would accept that. You did everything in your power to contact the children short of walking up to them on the street and introducing yourself. They didn't know who they were, never mind know you. And you had no idea they couldn't read the messages you left for them."

"But maybe if I had investigated more, or, I don't know, done _something,_ things would have turned out differently."

"Right, things may have turned out differently indeed, and we may not have Alex, Liz, Maria, Kyle or Zan here with us. Did you ever think of that? I was as shocked as you when they first activated the Granolith, Cladar, and I found out they knew nothing of our world or of their lives, save for false impressions planted by the one they called Tess. But those children, working together managed to save themselves from danger time and time again."

"At the expense of your first born grandchild," said Cal.

"Yes," agreed Drinian. "That was a tragic loss, and nobody mourned more than I, even though I was unable to mourn the loss as a Grandfather."

"I never did understand why you didn't tell them who you were," said Cal. "The little spunky one, Liz, when she told me what happened and said the name Che'koth, well, I wanted to laugh. You used to pretend to be Che'koth whenever you wanted to escape the rigors of royal life."

"I couldn't tell them who I was," said Drinian. "If I had, their first response would have been to come back to Antar, and it wasn't time for that. It wasn't safe."

"Was it any safer when they did come back?" asked Cal with a laugh.

"Not really," admitted Drinian. "But even then, the Gadori were after them, and I had no choice but to bring them home, and look at the good that came from it. They managed to do what nobody else had, bring Kivar down. It was a joyous time for Antar."

"But it didn't last long, did it," said Cal. "And look at them in there, laughing like a bunch of children. I can't believe you're pinning your hopes on them."

"And I can't believe, given everything you know about them that you don't have more faith in their abilities. If it can be done, it will be done. And beneath the laughter, they are working. _You_ should have more faith, Cladar."

"Listen to them Drinian, laughing and joking and having fun. It's not the way soldiers should act."

"They are not soldiers, Cladar, they are our children. The world you knew is gone. Things are different now, and in my opinion, better. You need to adjust your way of thinking, my friend. Start by removing all thoughts of failure from your mind. Then give yourself a chance to know your children, and your nieces and nephews. I think that you will find yourself to be surprised."

"Is that an order?" Cal asked, glaring at Drinian.

"My days as king, and giving orders is long over, my friend. It is merely a suggestion."

Drinian gave Cal's shoulder one last pat, and then he turned and walked away, leaving Cal to think about everything that had happened.


	43. Chapter 43 Coupling

**The Enemy Unknown The Enemy Unseen**

**Chapter Forty-Three** – _Coupling_

They gathered around the breakfast table, making various plans for the day. Michael and Kyle decided to head back into town and track down those still loyal to the Royal Family, courtesy of their friend Wandred.

"You want to come?" Michael asked Maria, helping himself t another serving of peroykia. Maria grimaced as she watched Michael load his plate with the spicy sweet food. It had the consistency of oatmeal, but tasted like a combination of peanut butter ice cream loaded down with jalapeno peppers.

"I can't," she said, regretfully. "I promised Max I'd bring him up to speed on the fortifications we've made."

"Right," said Alex, after Isabel nudged him in the ribs with her elbow. "And I was going to uh, work on that weapon guidance system Liz and I made, to see if I can calibrate it to work on the Gadori."

"Well, we still need to work on Shandar's information about the climate on Gador," said Zan. "Ava, do you want to work with Shandar on that?"

"Oh, um, Isabel and I are," Ava floundered, trying desperately to remember _what_ she and Isabel were supposed to be doing.

"Ava and I were actually going to meet with Father, Mother, and Aunt Dijanya to go over some of the plans," said Isabel. She shot Ava a look that clearly said, 'Don't blow this,' and Ava shrugged ruefully. She hated lying to anybody, least of all, Zan.

"Well, that's fine then, Shandar, looks like it's just you and me today," said Zan. "I hope you don't mind," he added as an afterthought.

"No, I-I don't mind," Shandar said, her cheeks coloring slightly. "Are you sure you don't have anything more important to take care of?"

"I think this bit of information is the break we've been hoping for," said Zan. "We need to find out as much information as we can about Gador, and what's happening there."

"Is there any place that has information about Antar's relationship with Gador, I mean treaties and things like that?" asked Shandar.

"Well, there are the archives in the palace," said Isabel. "They're housed in the diplomatic wing," she added, recalling her training as an Antarian diplomat. "We could figure out some way to break in there and possibly,"

"Possibly get killed," said Alex. "I'm sorry, Isabel, but I'm going to go all Neanderthal on you and say no way. Remember what happened the _last_ time you snuck into the palace."

"Yeah, Alex, I remember. We won the war!" said Isabel. She threw her fork down on her plate and pushed away from the table. She paused long enough to give Alex a withering glare before she stormed from the room.

"Um, yeah, that didn't go quite the way I was hoping it would," said Alex, to the room in general. "I'll be back in a bit."

"Hey, Alex, if it helps any," said Kyle. "Deep down, she's really happy that you care enough to freak out that way."

"I have _so_ got to learn how you do that," said Alex as he walked out of the room.

After his departure, and awkward silence filled the room. Liz looked at Max, her eyes urging him to say something. He cleared his throat several times, but nothing came out. After several minutes, the silence grew oppressive until finally, Kyle mustered up the courage to speak.

"Will you all look at that giant elephant sitting in the middle of the room," he said.

"Oh you mean that giant pink thing that's sitting right there on the table?" asked Michael, trying unsuccessfully to smother a grin.

"Yeah, the one with his foot in the food," added Max. He kept a straight face for a moment before finally exploding into laughter, followed quickly by all the others, except for Shandar.

"I don't understand," she said. "What is an elephant and where is it? I don't see anything."

Zan took a few minutes to explain the story of the elephant in the room to Shandar, while the others looked on, happy to see how he quickly moved to ease her discomfort.

"You are all very funny," said Shandar.

"Yeah, they're a laugh riot," said Zan.

"You are one of them, Zan. You need to include yourself in the 'laugh riot,' said Shandar.

"Yeah, that's right," said Max, nudging Zan. "You're one of us, and don't you forget it. And Shandar, don't think you're not one of us now too," Max continued. "Especially if you can figure out some way to keep this bozo under control."

"Bozo, the clown with the big red nose?" said Shandar. "I don't think so, I see Zan as having more of an orange nose." She reached out and tapped his nose and used her powers to turn Zan's nose a glowing shade of orange, causing those at the table to explode with laughter yet again.

"You do realize, this means war," said Zan, using one hand to change his nose back, and the other to grab Shandar's arm.

"Bring it on, Your Majesty. I feel that I am suitably equipped to deal with any challenge of wary you may throw down," said Shandar, tossing her hair away from her face.

"Well, I guess since Alex and Isabel are busy, um, fighting or whatever," said Liz. "Maybe I could go with Ava to talk to the parental units about the plans."

"But we don't have any plans," said Shandar, innocently. "At least not yet."

"Which is why I was going to suggest that Liz and Ava come with Kyle and me when we head in to town. We'll look less suspicious that way," said Michael, coming to their rescue.

Liz shot him a surprised look. Michael had been the most resistant to the girl's matchmaking scheme, at least according to Maria.

"What was that all about," she whispered to him as they exited the small room where they had eaten their morning meal. "I thought you didn't want any part of, what was it, oh yeah, 'Our matchmaking plans from hell?' Isn't that what you said to Maria?"

"Yeah, well, she turned his nose orange, and he didn't even flinch. The guy is a goner. He just doesn't realize it yet," said Michael.

"Give it up, Michael, your a sucker for a happy ending," joked Liz.

"That's my brother," said Ava, wrapping her slender arm around Michael's waist. "All rough and stone faced on the outside, but scratch the surface and it's pure marshmallow fluff!"

"We-well, I should probably check on Valrik before we start," said Shandar, nervously. She looked around the empty room, and realized that she was going to be working with Zan, alone, and she wasn't quite comfortable with that. Every time she looked at him, she felt quite peculiar, like her stomach was filled with a thousand small butterflies.

"I'll come with you, if you don't mind," said Zan, clearing his throat. "I, uh, I think my mother said she'd have him with her this morning."

Zan stared at Shandar as she rose gracefully from the chair. He felt a surge of heat through his body as he followed her out of the room and down the corridor to where the baby was being kept. The sway of Shandar's hips as she walked drew his attention, and Zan tripped slightly on an uneven patch of floor. He tried to focus his thoughts as they walked into the baby's small area, and found Cal, standing over the baby's bed, instead of Kitana.

"Excuse me," said Cal, "I was just remembering Rath when he was a baby, and you too, Zan. Actually, he looks a lot like you did at that age, except for the hair."

Zan reached down and stroked the baby's downy head with his finger. A fierce feeling of protectiveness welled up inside of him and he knew right then and there, he would die to protect this child. He looked over at Cal, and saw the same emotions cross his face, and he knew that the older man was consumed by a sense of guilt at his failure to protect them when they were on Earth.

"It wasn't your fault, Cal. You need to let it go," Zan said softly, while Shandar reached down and picked up their child. "You did the best you could. There wasn't anything more you could do."

"I failed," said Cal, softly. Strangely, he exhibited none of the bitterness he did when he was with Max and Michael.

"Fine, you think you failed," said Zan. "Then I give you a chance to redeem yourself. My son is to be placed under your protection. His safety is your main priority. Protect him, and all your transgressions, both real and imagined will be forgiven."

Shandar reacted to Zan's unspoken command, pressed a gentle kiss on her son's forehead and placed him in Cal's arms. She slipped her arm through Zan's, and the two exited the room leaving Cal to stare after them in amazement.

"You were perfect," Shandar whispered as they walked away from the room. "I think that is exactly what he needed. A sense of purpose."

"_You_ were perfect," said Zan. "It's like you were reading my mind. You knew exactly what I wanted and did it without hesitation. Thank you, Shandar."

"No, it is I who thank you, not only did you give that poor man a sense of purpose, you have given our son a personal guardian who will do anything to protect him. What mother could ask for more? What could any _parent_ ask for," she amended and watched as Zan's expression glowed. He leaned

"Zan, I was looking for you," a voice called.

Zan and Shandar looked up and saw Dijanya walking toward them, a large bag, similar to a backpack, in her arms.

"Liz told me what you two had planned for today," she said, smiling at her nephew. "I thought it would be nice if you got out of here for a while. You can do your research outside just as well as you could if you stayed down here."

"Thank you, Dijanya," said Zan. He took the bag from her and smiled as she walked away. "I'm starting to get a funny feeling about all of this," he said, looking down at Shandar.

"Funny feeling about what?" Shandar asked, her face a mask of innocence.

"Never mind," said Zan with a sigh. He hefted the backpack and smiled down at Shandar, feeling secure she was as much a victim of his family's matchmaking schemes as he. "Come on, let's go."

** * ** * *

Several hours later, Zan and Shandar sat outside, hidden from view by large boulders, enjoying the sun on their faces. Traces of their meal littered the ground around them. Zan and Shandar had gone over everything she could remember during her incarceration with the Gadori.

"We only have one thing left to do," said Zan. "I didn't want to do it, but I will."

"What is it, Zan, you sound like you're going to be taking some terrible risk."

"Only to my heart," said Zan. "See, as members of the royal family, we have access to the collective consciousness of those who came before us. Sort of like we can tap into the minds of the dead or something. But we also have access to the memories of the Zan, Rath, Ava and Vilondra that were killed on Antar. Those memories aren't so great, so Kyle and Isabel have told me. I'm really a coward. I'm afraid to look. I don't want to know how I died."

"Then don't" said Shandar, her voice matter-of-fact. "I would think you are strong enough to block the memories of the past you and search out what you are looking for. And you are not a coward, you are cautious. There is a difference."

"I'll try it," said Zan, reluctantly.

He closed his eyes, and opened his mind, searching for the information he needed. A tremendous explosion rocked the ground, and his eyes flew open. Shandar screamed and tried to stand, only to be knocked to the ground by falling rocks. Zan instinctively knelt down, shielding Shandar's body with his own as he scanned the area looking for clues to what happened. His heart pounded and he was filled with a terrible sense of foreboding when he saw the entrance to the underground caverns was completely obliterated.


	44. Chapter 44 Crisis Situation

**The Enemy Unknown The Enemy Unseen**

**Chapter Forty-Four** – _Crisis Situation_

"Shandar!" Zan yelled. He struggled to remove the large rock that had pinned his leg. He pushed at it ineffectually until he remembered he could use his powers to blast the offending stone away. In a matter of seconds, the boulder was reduced to a pile of manageable rocks. Zan pulled his leg free, wincing from the pain. He reached his hand down and touched his leg, healing the broken bones.

When he could stand, he quickly ran over to where Shandar had fallen, and knelt down beside her unconscious body. He worked feverishly for several minutes, healing the multitude of injuries her body had suffered. He choked on the thick black smoke that filled the air as he healed her last injury.

"Shandar, wake up," he said. "Shandar, can you hear me? Come on," he pleaded. "You have to wake up. Valrik needs you. I need you," he added softly.

** * ** *

"What was that?" Liz asked, picking herself up from the ground.

"I don't know," Michael responded, "But I'm going with nothing good."

"Look," Ava whispered. Liz looked up to see Ava pointing at a large black column of smoke that rose up from the canyon where Sanctuary was hidden.

"We need to go back there and help them," Ava said. "Michael, come on, we have to go back. Our mother is there." She looked at her brother, her eyes pleading.

"Right," said Michael. Horror danced across his face as he realized the very people he loved more than anything were trapped, or worse. "Right, come on," he said, his voice gaining strength. "I'll take lead, Valenti, you bring up the rear, Liz, you and Ava in the middle."

"No," said Liz

"What?" Michael asked, certain he had heard incorrectly. "Did you just tell me we're not going back? Liz, we have to back there and see if there are any survivors," Michael added, choking on the last word.

"I said no, we can't go back there, Michael. We have stay safe," Liz said, her eyes filling with tears as she spoke.

"Damn it, Liz, don't you realize they may need us back there. We _have_ to go back," Michael argued.

"And don't you realize we may be the only survivors left of the God Damned Royal House of Antar? We _can't_ go back. We have to stay alive. Whatever happened back there wasn't an accident, you can count on that. We can't have it happen to us."

"You cold, selfish bitch," Michael said, his voice low and hard. "I don't care what you say. I'm going back. My wife is there, and she may need me. Do you remember her, Liz, do you? Maria? Do you remember Maria?"

"Of course I do, Michael," Liz cried, tears spilling down her cheek. "Maria is my best friend, and in case you're forgetting, my husband _and_ my other best friend are there too, but we have to keep ourselves safe."

"Screw you, Liz Parker, I'm going back," Michael said. He turned and began to walk back."

"Michael," Liz called out, hating herself even as the words left her mouth. "As your Queen, I command you to stop."

"What?" said Michael, turning slowly to glare at Liz. "I cannot believe you are going to play the Queen card."

"I will, if I have to. I'll do whatever I have to do to keep you, to keep all of you, safe," she said, including Ava and Kyle.

"Liz, we can't not help them," Ava said, her voice pleading. "Kyle, tell her, we have to go back."

"She's right, Ava, we can't go back. It would be like signing our own death warrants if we did. Our best bet is to lay low and try and find out what happened," Kyle said, acting like the warrior he had become.

"What, no words of humor, no cute little quip to alleviate the tension?" baited Michael. "Where is the laughing Buddha's sense of humor now?"

Without warning, Kyle's fist shot out, catching Michael on the jaw and sending him crashing to the ground, unconscious.

"Would it be wrong of me to say that felt really, really good," Kyle asked nobody in particular.

"What is wrong with the two of you?" Ava shouted. "Are you on some kind of power trip or something? First you," she shot a contemptuous look at Liz, "Decide we're not going back to help our families, and then you," she added, turning on her husband, "Decide to knock my brother unconscious. What the hell is going on?"

"Ava, will you listen, I mean really listen to us," said Liz. "It's going to be hard, but please promise you'll try."

"What?" asked Ava, bitterly. She glared at Liz, her expression clearly saying that she'd listen, but there wasn't anything either one of them could say that would convince her that they were right.

"You know that before we came back, we tried using the Granolith to amplify Kyle's empathic powers, and pass them on to us, right?" began Liz. "Well, it really worked in me, but not so much in Max, Michael and Isabel. But the thing is, I can feel them, and I'm betting Kyle can too." She turned and looked at her friend who nodded in agreement.

"They're okay. Maria is okay, Max is okay, and so are Isabel and Alex, and I think on some level, Michael is feeling it too, but he's afraid to open himself up to those feelings which is why he's acting the way he is," explained Liz. "Remember when it first happened to Kyle, how he fell apart? Well, Michael's feeling Maria and the others, but he doesn't know how to deal with it, so he's acting, well, he's acting like Michael."

"You're sure they're okay?" Ava demanded. "And what about Zan?"

"Zan's fine," said Kyle, joining the conversation. "He wasn't even there when it happened. He and Shandar were outside, above ground when it happened." He placed his arms around Ava and hugged her tightly. "I promise you, they're all okay."

"What about our parents?" Ava whispered. "Can you feel them too?"

"No," Kyle admitted. "I can't, but that doesn't mean _anything._ All of us, we share a bond, and it's pretty damn strong. We don't really have as strong a bond with the parents, so they could be perfectly fine right now, and we just don't know it."

"Well what was all that crap Liz was spouting about being the last members of the Royal Family?" Ava asked, still angry.

"Ava, will you think with your head, and not your heart for a minute," said a clearly exasperated Liz. "We know they're alive, but we _don't_ know what or who caused the blast. Whoever or whatever did this may be there right now, waiting to cut us all down. We _can't_ go rushing in there playing savior. Max and the others can handle themselves, but if they can't." She paused, and drew in a deep breath, trying to steady herself. "Then we're the only hope Antar has left. Please, can't you understand that?"

"Liz is right," said Michael, struggling to get up. "And if you ever hit me again, Valenti, I'm going to have to kill you. I don't care if you are my brother-in-law."

"Yeah," Kyle said, struggling to suppress a grin. "I seem to recall you saying that the _last_ time I hit you."

"Well then, I guess this is the time I get to kill you," Michael shot back.

"You could do that, but then my essence would become part of the collective consciousness. Could you really live with me invading your thoughts for the rest of your life?"

"Stop it!" Ava cried. "Just stop it. Now isn't the time for joking. What happened to you Michael? Before Kyle sucker punched you,"

"Hey, that wasn't a sucker punch," Kyle interjected.

"You were all for going back and help everybody," Ava continued as if Kyle hadn't said anything. "Now you're agreeing with them and making jokes."

"That's because when I was knocked out, I heard Maria," Michael said. "Okay, not heard her, heard her," he amended when he saw the other three staring at him incredulously. "But I could feel her, sort of. She was kind of worried, and a lot scared, but I also felt an overwhelming sense of relief from her as well," Michael said. "I think that means that people are okay, and by people, I mean our parents, so rest easy, Ava. They're safe. Now we can go about the business of figuring out what the hell happened."


	45. Chapter 45 Amongst the Ruins

**Chapter Forty-Five** – _Amongst the Ruins_

"This is so _not_ good, girlfriend," Maria said, brushing the dust and debris from her clothing.

"Maria, could you not call me that right now?" said Max. "We kind of have a problem here. We're trapped, and nobody knows where we are."

"Don't be to certain about that, Max," Maria replied, a small smile playing on her face.

She looked around and got her bearings and moved towards an expanse of wall that was still standing. Confidently, she waved her hand across a portion of the wall, and waited for a door to open. The smile slipped slightly from her face, and she waved her hand across the wall again.

"Max!" she wailed, when nothing happened. "We're trapped. We're stuck inside this tiny little cavern. I can feel the walls closing in on my. I think I'm hyperventilating."

Max reached into the small pouch Maria wore on her waist and pulled out a vial of cedar oil.

"Here, breath this," he said, rolling his eyes slightly. Now was not the time for Maria to revert back to form.

_Revert back to form,_ he thought to himself and smiled. Max looked around the cavern and found another fairly large expanse of wall, directly opposite the one Maria was leaning against. He walked across the cavern, stepping carefully over the fallen stalactites and other rubble. He passed his hand across the wall, and a small silver handprint was revealed. Max pressed his hand against the outline of the handprint, and an opening appeared in the cavern wall.

"Was this what you were looking for?" he questioned Maria.

"Shut up, Max," she grumbled with mock ferocity. "Nobody likes a know-it-all show-off. How'd you figure it out, anyhow?"

"Do you remember that time we let you map the route out to that concert in Albuquerque? Max asked. "You proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that you _can't_ read a map to save your life."

"Nice, Max, really nice, bringing that up at a time like this," Maria said. She shot Max a look of mock outrage and joined him in front of the opening.

They stood there for several seconds, both of them staring into the dark passage before Max finally spoke.

"Well, aren't you going to go down there?" he asked Maria.

"Are you sure you trust me to go first," said Maria. "I might get lost or take a wrong turn or something."

Max gave a long-suffering sigh before he answered, "Maria, shut up or I'll demote you to private or something."

"You know, I can't think of why Liz puts up with you," Maria muttered, pushing past him.

"Sure you can," said Max, flashing his famous Tom Cruise grin. "I'm so damn loveable."

"You're such a damn jerk," said Maria, grinning in spite of herself. "Come on, let's see if we can reach the others."

** * ** *

"Isabel! Isabel, where are you?" a voice called through the darkness.

Isabel moaned, she didn't want to wake up, she was having the most wonderful dream, and she didn't want it to end. She snuggled down deeper in to her pillow and tried to recapture her dream.

_What's wrong with my pillow?_ she thought to herself.

Slowly, as the layers of consciousness lightened, Isabel realized that she wasn't lying in her bed, but on the hard ground, and the voice she heard calling wasn't her father trying to wake her up for school, it was Alex. After several seconds, the memories came rushing back, and she realized that she was on Antar, and something terrible had happened.

"Alex," she choked, coughing through the thick dust that filled the space she now inhabited. Alex, I'm here."

She held up her hand and gave a small burst of energy and a ghostly glow filled the area where she had fallen.

"Alex, where are you?" she asked, looking around, trying to locate the source of his voice.

"Out here," came his muffled reply. "I want you to stand back, I'm going to try and get these rocks out of the way."

"Be careful!" Isabel called, a niggling sense of fear touching her. "Alex, are you okay?"

"Yeah, don't worry about me," he replied. "Just stand back."

Isabel did as Alex asked and stepped back against the far wall. In a matter of minutes the boulders blocking her access were gone, and she started to run toward Alex.

"Isabel, don't move," Alex whispered.

She stopped where she was and stared to where Alex was pointing and stared in horror. A large pile of explosives lay on the path, separating her from Alex.

"How can I get past that?" she whispered.

"I'm not sure," Alex responded. I put a shield over it before I destroyed the boulders that were blocking you, but I'm afraid to put a shield over it to have you climb over."

"You did _what?_" Isabel exclaimed, furiously. "Don't you realize how dangerous it was to do that? What if the shield hadn't held. Those things could have gone off, and you could have died."

"And if I didn't get you out, you could have died," Alex responded, simply. "I had no choice."

"Alex," Isabel said, her voice trembling. "I love you."

"I love you too," he responded. "Now, any suggestions, do you guys have an Antarian bomb squad or anything?"

"I don't think we have time to track them down," said Isabel, her voice shaking. "Look."

Alex looked down at the explosives and felt a shaft of fear shoot down his spine. The explosives had started to glow, a red light emanating from them.

"Okay, Isabel, I don't want you to panic," Alex said, his own face a mask of pure fear.

"Right," said Isabel, "Because you're going to do it enough for both of us?"

"Yeah, something like that," said Alex, flashing her a boyish grin. Whatever happened, whatever the end result, as long as he and Isabel were together, everything would be okay.

"Isabel, what I want you to do is back away, slowly, I don't know if this thing is motion sensitive. Try and get behind that big pile of rocks, and when I say now, I want you to try and put as strong a shield as you possibly can around the explosives," Alex said. Now that he had a plan in mind, he could speak calmly.

"What about you?" Isabel asked, her chin trembling slightly with fear.

"I'm going to be doing the exact same thing," said Alex. "Hopefully, the combined strength of our two shields will contain most of the blast that I'm pretty positive is coming. And if it doesn't, 'we always had Antar,'" he quipped, purposely misquoting the famous movie line.

"You're lucky that I love you so much," said Isabel, grinning despite her fear. "You deserve to get blown sky high for that performance alone.

"Start backing up, slowly," Alex said. "That's right, slowly, slowly. Good, Isabel, you're almost there." Alex paused and looked around trying to judge the distance between himself and the large boulders he hoped to hide behind. "Okay, get behind the rocks, Is," he said. "And _NOW_!"

Both of them put a protective force field around the glowing mass just as they began explode. Alex struggled to maintain his focus, concentrating all his energy in to maintaining the shield. Much as he wanted to, he didn't even spare Isabel a glance, knowing that as long as the shield remained intact, she was safe.

A sudden flash of movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention, and Alex struggled to keep his focus on the explosives.

"Max, no, don't!" he heard Isabel shout, and his attention wavered, and an explosion filled the small room.


End file.
